Nutlidge

By Mary Jane Bayliss

Beautiful ten year old Sky visits her Grandmother after hearing that her cousin has been hurt in Bali. Whilst playing in her favourite cottage near the creek, she is led away from the cottage and into the forest by a Raven.

There amongst a pristine and untouched Australian forest, she discovers something that has been hidden from the human eyes for centuries.

She follows the footsteps of her great great great great grandfather, enters a world of gum nuts and magic, and goes on fantastic adventures that change her life and humanity forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: May 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9781982299422

Book preview

Nutlidge

Mary Jane Bayliss

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Copyright © 2024 Mary Jane Bayliss.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead,

is purely coincidental. The author reserves her moral rights.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com.au

AU TFN: 1 800 844 925 (Toll Free inside Australia)

AU Local: [phone] ([phone] from outside Australia)

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.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9943-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9944-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9942-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024907191

Balboa Press rev. date:  05/08/2024

Contents

Part 1: Welcome to Nutlidge

Chapter 1 The Door Opens

Chapter 2 A Raven and a Tree

Chapter 3 A Nutty Discovery

Chapter 4 The Enchanted World of Nutlidge

Chapter 5 Magikabilitea

Chapter 6 The Fairy Glen

Chapter 7 A Golden Meeting

Chapter 8 The Hall of Records

Chapter 9 The Wisdom of the Freds

Part 2: An Act of Faith

Chapter 10 Sceptibilitea

Chapter 11 Lord Nutwood and Lady Acacia Nutley

Chapter 12 A Sixteenth-Century Encounter

Chapter 13 The Ring

Chapter 14 Teachers and Tyrants

Chapter 15 The Federation of Nature Spirits

Chapter 16 Merlin the Magician

Chapter 17 Truths Unfold

Chapter 18 Perry and Winkle to the Rescue

Chapter 19 The Mission Begins

Chapter 20 Invisibilitea and Honestea

Chapter 21 Awareness, Honesty, Responsibility

Chapter 22 A Cause for Celebration

Chapter 23 Finalitea?

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Malley Gum takes time to write

his next herbal recipe.

~ For Calum, the brightest light in my life ~

and

~ For Humanity ~

Part One

Welcome to Nutlidge

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Chapter 1

The Door Opens

Sky flew along the peaceful riverbank as the warm summer breeze swept wildly through her long hair. She held her arms out wide and navigated the cliff face well. Moving past overhanging trees and exposed rock, she took off, speeding over the treetops and into the blue above. Up she soared, faster and faster, until she flew right up past the clouds. The view was incredible! A picture of another world, a cloud world, surrounded her.

The scene before her took her breath away as she briefly focused on the details. Clouds puffed up to look like people, landscapes, and trees. To the right was a large treasure chest, majestic, magical, and golden edged. Clouds were one of Sky’s favourite things.

Taking her mind back to the river, Sky plummeted down towards the valley again, which made her take another deep breath as her belly reeled with excitement. This made her roll over on the couch with a big smile on her face.

Slowing down a little as the water seemed to approach quickly, she gazed around as she flew freely above the surface. She zigzagged and sprayed water with her feet, skimming across the top of the river. The unusual sensation made her laugh out loud, and before she knew it, two pelicans were skimming along with her.

Across the river and sticking out from the cliff face near the water level was a big knotty old eucalyptus tree spread out far and wide. Sky loved these old trees. She flew across the river with ease and landed on a branch covered with beautifully patterned bark and big green gum leaves in a mass at the end of it.

She looked out towards the river and saw that the Australian sun was just coming up over the cliffs, showering the tree in golden light. All the colours in the patterns turned brighter autumn shades, illuminating the tree. She walked down the branch and past a purple and lavender eagle, which acknowledged her, then continued preening its feathers. Her grandmother had told her once that eagles were a symbol of the Great Spirit, so Sky knew she was on the right track.

As Sky walked closer to the trunk, she realised that a door was embedded into it. It was a little round-topped door, about the same height as she, and had a golden gumnut for a handle. The whole door was glowing. Sky stood looking at it.

It wasn’t the first time she had been at this door. She wanted to open it and go through, but hesitated.

This door is becoming very familiar to me, eagle. She looked at the eagle again, which had been watching her whilst preening its purple feathers. It was tapping at the branch it was sitting on as if cleaning its beak. She felt confident suddenly.

It’s time for me to pluck up the courage and go in, right? she asked firmly. But she was instantly anxious at the thought of what might be behind the door. Fear zapped through her, creating goose bumps on her arms, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her.

Sky slowly went to grab hold of the door handle, but before she touched it, the door opened itself.

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The door in Sky’s dream.

Chapter 2

A Raven and a Tree

The eagle was tapping louder now and suddenly called out a loud caw. Sky, realising that it wasn’t an eagle call, but a raven’s, turned to look at the bird behind her.

A large raven was now where the eagle had been, and a look of surprise was on Sky’s face.

Where did you come from? she asked as she smiled.

The raven cawed louder and louder until it became too loud for Sky’s ears. She became agitated, covering her ears with her hands.

OK! OK! I can hear you! she called out, and suddenly she awoke with a jump. Still holding her ears, and a little disorientated, she came back to reality to hear the odd cawing from somewhere within the trees outside, followed by a tapping on wood.

With a big yawn and a heavy sigh, Sky sat up on the old couch and looked around her whilst awaking fully from her amazing dream.

The quaint room of the cottage was glowing with the last of the morning sun, which trickled in gently. A warm breeze was moving, blowing around her bare feet. The crystal at the kitchen sink window was throwing tiny rainbows everywhere.

This was her favourite place, the old cottage. It sat in a beautiful rainforest on her grandmother’s property and was set away from the main house. The main house had been built a century after the cottage was built back in 1800s. It was just where she needed to be after a hugely upsetting and chaotic morning. Her family had received bad news about their cousin in Bali.

Tommo, Sky’s cousin, was twenty years older than she and was her brother’s best buddy. Baize was only sixteen but got on well with Tommo, the two of them spending a lot of time together.

It had been a busy morning, and Sky had gotten an early start too. The phone had rung at about four o’clock, waking them all. After that came breakfast, followed by the rushed packing of Sky’s bags, the making of phone calls, and the getting into the car. Sky was still yawning when her upset mother, Fran, had dropped her at her grandmother’s house and headed off to the Melbourne airport with Baize to see Sky’s uncle off to Bali. His son Tommo had been caught in the blast with his teammates and was in the intensive care unit at the Sanglah hospital.

Sky shook her head as all the images from the morning’s events unfolded in her mind. She couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do such an awful thing. What is going on in the world? she asked herself quietly as her eyes found the light of the window. She stared at the beauty outside for a long time.

She had spent the early hours of the morning with her grandmother, happily helping her with a few small jobs around her huge two-storey house. They had eaten an early breakfast on the balcony and took in the beauty of the surrounding gardens, talking about the Bali tragedy. After everything, Sky was exhausted.

Up above, a beautiful day had begun. The sky was clear except for a few small clouds. Sky focused on one lonesome cloud drifting slowly along as it changed shape. This was a favourite pastime of hers also. It turned into what looked to her like a gumnut! Then it appeared to turn into a doorway. She had mentioned this to her grandma, and they had a long chat about mystical magical things and what the cloud was trying to tell her. They had decided that it signified a doorway to the new and exciting opportunities coming into her life.

Sky loved having conversations with her grandmother, who was always telling her wonderful things about life that no one else really talked about except maybe her mother. It was a world that had been stolen from humanity, which was now being realised by millions. Our true magical divine side. We are creators and can create anything with our thoughts. In fact, we do this all the time. Be careful of the thoughts you put out there, her grandma would say, for those are what will create your future.

After this, Sky decided to go for a walk through the gardens to check on the old cottage. She loved this place because every garden she walked through was different. Her favourites were the main garden, where flowers were always abundant in every colour imaginable, and the eucalyptus forest, where she would sometimes fossick for hours and find many types of gumnuts and pods to use for her art. They were colourful and were everywhere. To Sky, it was like a treasure trove.

She had eventually reached the cottage and felt relieved to be back again. By that time, all she had felt like doing was making herself a cup of warm chocolate and sitting on the lounge. She reflected on her day so far and looked around the beautiful room at her leisure. When her drink was finished, she fell asleep.

Still sitting quietly, Sky looked at the antique clock on the mantelpiece. She had slept awhile. It was eleven minutes past eleven, 11:11 flashing in her mind. She knew it was telling her she was in the right place at the right time.

Sky thought back to the dream again. That was the best flying dream I’ve had in ages! she said to herself, remembering the clouds and the river. Then she remembered the eagle and the door.

That door again, she said quietly to herself, still pondering. It opened, and something woke me up. She looked towards the open door and felt momentarily annoyed that she had again failed to find out what lay behind it.

Again she heard a loud tapping noise outside, and it became more and more frequent. The bird was still out there cawing, a little more often now. A small lizard basking in a sunny spot on the floor scurried past Sky’s feet and looked at her. You’re so small, lizard. Tiny little thing, aren’t you? The lizard was reminding her about her dream.

Sky retied her hair so that her pigtail had a loop in it. It was cooler like that. She stretched and stood up, straightening her jeans and T-shirt, and headed for the door.

She still had an ornament in her hand from the doll’s house in the other room, so she ducked in there first to put it away. The doll’s house was quite large, covering the best part of one wall of the bedroom. Her great-great-great-great-grandfather had made it, along with all the furniture inside it. He was a fine craftsman, and his work had lasted well. It was spectacular. Apparently his wife had decorated the doll’s house, and she had done a beautiful job of it. Every room imaginable was in this house. It was a miniature mansion that had two large doors that closed to form its fourth and front wall, which was covered with lovely windows, balconies, and french doors. The house had four storeys with stairs connecting them all, in addition to carpets, wallpaper, exquisite furniture, framed pictures, cupboards and drawers that worked, running water, and all the ornaments and utensils a family would have.

There were four antique porcelain dolls, dressed in sixteenth-century attire, a father, a mother, a boy, and a girl.

Sky usually spent hours playing with the doll’s house when she stayed. Loving tiny things as she did, she was in her element.

Now more awake and feeling quite refreshed, Sky headed out the door, grabbing her backpack on the way. The bird, a raven after all, was on a nearby branch, and it was still tapping at the wood and wiping its beak. It stopped and looked at her in what she thought to be a very curious way, then flew to the next branch. It turned around and looked at her again. She remembered that ravens usually meant magic, and in ancient cultures were thought to be the link between known reality and the reality that is hidden.

The raven flew in short stages and kept looking back at Sky, who had now chosen to follow it.

They ended up at the bridge, where the bird changed directions, flying upstream towards the waterfall. Sky had always wanted to follow this stream to see where it went, and so with the cottage almost forgotten and her backpack strapped to her shoulders, she climbed down from the bridge and headed after the bird. She climbed over rocks and small waterfalls and around rock pools. Every now and then the raven would stop and wait for her to catch up. It sent out one of its loud calls and continued its journey down the river.

They had gone about five hundred metres by the time the raven stopped and made itself comfortable on a large boulder after ruffling its feathers and calling out once more.

Sky looked around and saw nothing unusual. However, the trek had been fun, so she decided to sit and catch her breath. She sat on a boulder and took her sneakers off, putting her feet in the water and lifting her eyes up high to gaze at the canopy. The birdlife in the forest was amazing. Everywhere she looked, something moved or flew across the path. A bright blue iridescent kingfisher stood out bright on a nearby branch. A kestrel hawk was hovering above, focusing on the ground looking for food.

Mm, Sky said, watch out for messages, eh? She drank from the crystal-clear stream and savoured its taste. After about fifteen minutes, she put her sneakers back on. As she stood up, the raven flew into the forest, away from the stream. Sky began following the raven again, and it took her into the forest about twenty metres before coming to a complete stop in an area that was all undergrowth, beautifully set amongst huge trees and a massive array of different tree ferns. It looked like the tropical forests she had seen on the television.

The pair came to a small area where Sky could swing her arms. After looking around, it was clear to her that she couldn’t go on any farther.

Well, raven, I’m not sure what you’re up to, but I think you’ve led me on a wild-goose chase. The girl sat down on a tree log and looked around. Nice, though.

She was staring at the layers of vines that were hanging down, originating high up in a tree. They were of all sizes and lengths and seemed to go up forever amidst giant leaves and ferns. The vines twisted and curled. Sky studied it all, finding lots of tiny spiral ends and curly bits.

This is excellent! she said, delighted about the find. These are so cute! I could use them on a nut and make a tiny cup. Actually, I could make all sorts of little miniatures with these. She proceeded to fill her backpack with dry curly vines from the forest floor.

Noticing some unusual gumnuts stuck in between the vines, Sky endeavoured to pull the branch out from its vine-entangled trap.

The vines weren’t all that stable, and they moved as she pulled the cluster of nuts out. As she did so, she noticed that she could make a hole big enough to climb through and back on to a large tree trunk.

Sky pushed her way through the ferns and vines that lay near the tree trunk. It took her quite awhile, but she managed to find her way to an opening that she had seen up ahead. It was quite a large opening and very pretty with wild flowers and a small pool of water. A tiny stream trickled its way into the decorated pond. Sky looked at the surroundings with amazement in her eyes. She stepped forward, tripping on a tree root, and was suddenly sprawled on the ground and face to face with a lizard that was about a foot long.

She pondered for a moment on the flying dream she’d had, still quite comically staring into the lizard’s eyes. The lizard flicked its tongue and took off, finding shelter under a rather massive moss-covered tree root.

Rubbing her knee and picking herself off the ground, Sky turned around to follow the tree root up to the tree trunk.

She walked along this tree trunk for at least ten minutes. It got bigger and went higher, until she was at least ten feet off the ground. The root itself was as wide as her lounge room at home. Sky had never seen anything like it.

She walked, by now uphill, on the root and eventually saw the tree trunk.

She got the shock of her life when she realised that she had stumbled across the largest tree trunk she had ever seen in her life. It looked like a eucalyptus tree, but its size was hard to comprehend. And the