Destiny's Garden

Hello, Destiny! I am your new book and I am here to tell you that you have a garden that you didn't know about. But for you to enjoy your garden, the first thing you have to do is get inside."1

Destiny thought, "Wow! This book is talking to me! I have a garden? That's great! But where is it? How can I get inside? Hmmm....I'm going to need a door..."2

She continued reading. 3

"Yes, you need a door. So close your eyes, stick out your pointing finger, and draw a door in the air. Make sure it's about as tall as you are. Then draw a doorknob. Now, turn the doorknob, pull the door open, and step right into your very own garden. Oh, and don't forget to take me with you!"4

Destiny felt a little silly, but she did just what the book said, and when she opened her eyes again she was in the most beautiful place she had ever seen! There were great, big, old trees, a creek, and lots and lots of different kinds of flowers where bees and butterflies stopped to feed. There was an indescribable smell of moist soil and loamy leaves, healthy wood and new summer honey. It was sunny but the temperature was just right. There was a soft breeze blowing and the whole place was filled with the songs of birds! Destiny looked across the creek and saw a large oak tree. 5

"Hey, what a perfect tree to build a tree-house!" she thought.6

She wanted to get across to explore the tree and the area around it better but the creek was somewhat wide, so she started walking up along the edge to see if there was a place where it was narrower. No luck. But she didn't let that stop her. She walked in the opposite direction for a while and at last she found a place where there was a line of stepping stones just right for a girl her size. 7

One, two, three, four; five, six, seven, eight! And she was at the other side. The tree stood on level ground, had large, strong roots, and many sturdy, long branches all around, just like arms opened wide. There was not much grass on the ground, but there were a number of pretty mushrooms. Where the tree branches ended, the wild-flowers began. 8

She touched the tree's trunk and thought she felt it tremble, as though it had shuddered. When she tried to climb it, the tree pulled up its roots and walked away! She walked over to the place where it had settled and tried climbing it again, and again it uprooted itself, walked away, and settled down onto a new patch of ground! 9

Destiny was puzzled. "How am I going to build a tree-house in this tree if it keeps walking away? Hmmm. Let me see if the book has anything on that."10

So she opened the book again and read:11

"Ah, you're back! I knew you wouldn't need me to figure out how to cross the creek, but now this is a situation where you could really use my help. You see, in this garden even the rocks are alive! So really, this tree here is just like a person and if you want to build a tree-house in it, you first have to ask its permission very politely. You just can't climb up on it and start pounding away. Why, you haven't even been properly introduced!"12

"Introduced?" she thought... "But I don't know anybody here who could introduce me! Besides, I've never heard of a book talking to a tree and surely trees can't read!"13

There was a large boulder nearby and Destiny thought she might sit down. 14

"But if even the rocks are alive," she said to herself, "I can't just sit on it without asking permission!" 15

So she sat cross-legged on a patch of dry ground instead. She opened the book again and read:16

"Don't worry. Help is on the way." 17

That was all she had read when she heard a sweet woman's voice humming a tune close by. She looked around and saw a beautiful lady in a long blue dress with a pointy hat on her head and a basket in her hand. 18

The lady bent down among the plants and said, "Good morning, Miss Peppermint. Please allow me to take a few of your leaves to help an elf with an upset stomach." 19

Destiny thought she heard a tiny sound in reply, but couldn't be sure. 20

"So mote it be", the lady replied, "and thank you very much! Have a good day!" 21

The lady in blue continued walking among the plants towards the place where Destiny was sitting. Eventually, she spotted Destiny and smiled at her.22

"Well hello! I haven't seen you before!" she said sweetly. "What's your name?"23

"Destiny, ma'am."24

"Oh! Yes! This is your garden! I knew you were coming. I saw it in the cards a few days ago. I am so happy to meet you! Please just call me Syren. I am a Hedge and Kitchen Witch. I know all about herbs and spices, and spells for receiving good things and helping others." 25

"Wow! A real live witch! But you're so pretty!"26

"Ah, well. In humanity's world most people think all witches are bad, and do bad things and hurt people. But actually that's not correct. Most witches are good. It's just that the few bad ones have been so bad, that's what people remember. What's more, they tend to equate bad with ugly. That's another mistake. Here things are different. We have no need to hide in the broom closet!"27

"I see. I noticed you were asking the peppermint plant for some leaves. My grandma talks to plants, too. She says it helps them grow better."28

"That's true. But like my friend Elizabeth Barrette says, 'Many a woman talks to her plants, but a witch also listens,'" 29

Destiny thought about that...30

"Anyway, you seem to be worried about something. May I help?"31

"Maybe... You see that tree over there?"32

"Umhmm."33

"I think it's a perfect place to build a tree house, but when I tried to climb it, it walked away! Twice! The book here says the problem is that it's impolite to just climb up on it because we haven't been properly introduced. I was just wondering how I could be introduced if I don't know anybody here."34

"Well, you know me! Don't worry. I'll introduce you, right now!" 35

So Syren led Destiny over to the tree.36

"Good morning, Mr. Oak. I would like you to meet my new friend, Destiny. This is her garden."37

Destiny saw two droopy eyes, a nose, and a mouth appear where there were knots on the trunk, and she heard a mossy bass voice say, "Hello, Destiny. I'm very happy to meet you."38

"So am I, Mr. Oak. I'm sorry I tried to climb you back there. I'm new around here and I'm just getting to know the rules." Destiny decided she'd better come right out and ask about the tree house project, so she remarked, "By the way, you have very sturdy branches. Would you mind if I built a tree house in them?"39

"No. I wouldn't mind. But please, no nails! Ok?"40

"It's a deal!" Destiny replied.41

Destiny was trying to imagine how she could build a tree house without nails when Syren asked, "Would you like to see my cottage? It's not too far away. It's almost lunchtime and you must be hungry. Everybody says I'm a good cook. My big brother Pyr will be coming so you can meet him, too!"42

"Yes, I really am hungry! That would be great. Let's go!"43

So they said goodbye to Mr. Oak and off they went down the nearby path until they came to a little stone house under the trees. Next to the house was a very large clearing. The house looked quite comfortable and there was a sign over the doorway that said "Harm None". The first thing Destiny saw when she came into Syren's cottage was a beautiful silver gray tabby cat with green eyes. 44

Syren said, "Dee Bee, this is my new friend Destiny." 45

Dee Bee meowed as he walked over to Destiny. He smelled her feet and rubbed against her legs purring. 46

"Nice to meet you Dee Bee," said Destiny as she bent down to scratch behind the cat's ears. 47

The kitchen area was off to the left and next to the fireplace there was a little makeshift bed. There was a boy with pointy ears and pale green skin resting in it. Syren said, "I brought some peppermint leaves to make you some tea and also a new friend. Dinky, this is Destiny. Destiny, this is Dinky." She started preparing the tea right away.48

Dinky and Destiny said their hellos and Destiny noticed there was a delicately carved flute sticking out from his pouch. She thought of the harmonica she had in her pants pocket and asked, "Do you play the flute?"49

"Yes, when I am feeling well. I think it was those mushrooms I ate yesterday. Syren helped me empty my stomach but I still feel terrible. I hope the tea helps."50

Syren brought the tea, but before she handed the cup to Dinky she closed her eyes and said, 51

"Soothing Peppermint52

Herb for health53

Use your power54

To help this elf!55

So mote it be."56

Dinky propped himself up on his elbow, drank the tea, and was just fine as soon as he swallowed the last gulp! He immediately got out of bed and reached for his cap and his flute. He put the cap on and as he played a happy little tune, he began dancing. 57

The feather on his cap followed his every movement and as he played faster he began to run back and forth and jump up to slap the ceiling! He was acting so silly he made Destiny laugh! Then, she took out her harmonica to play too, but when she made the first sound flowers and rainbow colors appeared in the air around her. It had become a magic harmonica! They played together for a while and Dinky jumped up on the windowsill where he slipped and fell out the window!58

Destiny and Syren rushed outside to see if Dinky was ok. They found him lying face up in the flowerbed but unhurt! 59

Syren laughed and said, "Ok, that's enough clowning around!" while the flowers underneath and around him groaned and complained...60

But now a fierce wind started blowing and there was a loud roar that shook the ground. 61

"Don't be afraid!" Syren reassured. "It's just my brother Pyr. Come! Let's watch him land."62

Syren, Destiny, and Dinky rushed to the door just in time to see Pyr circling above the clearing, getting ready to land. It was his powerful wings that made the wind blow. He was a 50 foot long, fire-breathing, medium dark charcoal grey dragon, with an ash colored belly. His scales were beautiful and shiny like fine chain mail. The ground trembled when his feet touched down in the middle of the clearing.63

Curling up his tail and folding his wings, he stretched his long neck towards the sky and shape shifted into his human form: a very handsome man with an attractive goatee and moustache, dressed in fine, black leather pants, vest, and boots. With the slow, deliberate gait of a tiger he walked towards the welcoming party. Destiny and Dinky stood staring while Syren rushed out to meet him, saying, 64

"Oh, my soul, it's been such a long time!"65

"My sweet little sister!" said Pyr as he hugged her tenderly. "It's so wonderful to see you! How I wish you could move closer to my kingdom!"66

"Oh", sighed Syren. "I'd love to live in your castle on Ynys Pyr, but for a little while longer I have to care for this garden."67

"The time will come soon. I am sure. But aren't you going to introduce me to your young friends?" said Pyr.68

"But of course!" replied Syren. "Dinky, Destiny, this is my brother Pyr, Dragon Lord of Ynys Pyr."69

Dinky and Destiny both said "Pleased to meet you, Sire", at the very same time!70

"Destiny? But this is your garden!" 71

"Yes, Sire."72

"I am so happy to finally meet you!" said Pyr bowing slightly. Then he turned to Dinky, "And you, young man; I am always pleased to meet an Elf, for your people are lovers of peace," he said shaking the boy's hand, and added: "Please, both of you, just call me Pyr."73

Then Syren invited them all inside and while they were having lunch Destiny told Pyr about wanting to build a tree house.74

"That's a wonderful idea! You already have Mr. Oak's permission, but do you have a plan?"75

"A plan? No... I thought I'd just start building right away."76

"Have you ever built a tree house before?"77

"No..."78

"The best way to do anything is to start out with a plan. That way you will be sure to end up with something you like and you will also be able to know exactly what and how much material you will need. What will your tree house be made of?" 79

"I thought it might be made of wood, but the trees here are just like people, so now I really don't know..."80

"You could build it of bamboo instead. I know a place where there's plenty of bamboo. However, it's far away. I'll have to take you there."81

"You mean flying?" Destiny said excitedly.82

"Yes."83

"Wow! Me flying on a dragon's back! How cool!"84

"But first we have to make a plan and find out how much bamboo we will need", said Pyr seriously.85

So he asked Syren for a quill and ink and parchment. Then he asked Destiny just how she would like her tree house and little by little they put together a set of workable plans. 86

The tree house would be built around Mr. Oak's trunk, using his sturdy limbs for support. Together they calculated they would need one hundred 35 foot by 2 inch bamboo poles and 200 feet of rope for tying the poles together so that they wouldn't have to use nails. 87

With Syren's help, Destiny and Pyr made ready to leave. Pyr told Destiny to stay with Syren and Dinky next to the cottage. He then walked out into the middle of the clearing and spoke the shape shifting spell. 88

"Commuto formam!"89

He immediately turned into the fierce dragon he was and called Destiny to his side. He very tenderly picked her up by her belt with his sharp talons and gently placed her on his back.90

"You are safe with me. Just hold on tight, little one."91

Destiny hugged the Dragon Lord's neck and held on tight as they rose into the air. Syren and Dinky waved goodbye while Dee Bee sat contentedly on the windowsill, looking up. Slowly they ascended above the garden and Destiny could see the trees becoming smaller and smaller. She saw the stone fence between her garden and the rest of the countryside. Then Pyr turned to the East and took off full speed. It was so wonderful to feel the air rushing through her hair and the moist clouds tickling her face!92

They arrived in the Empire of the East in no time and from their vantage point in the sky they located a large grove of bamboo. Pyr landed gently, helped Destiny down and then changed into his human form again. 93

As she stood there, out of the corner of her eye Destiny saw something darting through the bamboo grove. When she turned around there was a group of tall, slim, identical creatures standing in line in front of the grove, but they had no faces: no noses, no mouths, no eyes, no ears; no features at all! Pyr greeted them with a slight bow, Destiny said hello, and the creatures all hummed a sound together, but they spoke no words. 94

Pyr told Destiny, "I am going to inspect the bamboo and make a deal with the owner of this grove. Stay put until I come back, Ok?"95

"Yes, Pyr" Destiny promised.96

Destiny turned to the creatures and thought, "How can they recognize each other, if they have no faces? How can they understand each other, if they can't say any words and have no ears?" 97

The creatures began humming a sound again and somehow Destiny was able to feel their deep sadness. Somehow she knew in her heart that the other people who lived nearby called them The Nameless Ones and The Faceless Ones. She understood that they longed to be like all the other creatures; to be able to see, hear, smell, speak, sing, smile, and laugh. She saw the confusion they went through by not being able to recognize who was who and tell what was what.98

Destiny was still thinking about this when Pyr returned announcing he had successfully negotiated a deal for the bamboo they needed, along with some pulleys and 200 feet of rope. This was good news! But Pyr noticed there was something bothering her and asked what was wrong. Destiny replied, "Pyr, these creatures are sad because they have no faces. They want to have ears, noses, eyes, and mouths like all the other creatures. Please, isn't there something we can do to help them?"99

"Yes, there is," Pyr replied smiling. "I know magic spells for faces. Let me look into their minds so that I can see exactly what they need."100

Closing his eyes, Pyr breathed deeply and searched the creatures' minds. He also felt their sadness and wanted to help them. With his eyes still closed he pointed the two fingers of his right hand towards them and called out:101

"Facies et vultus102

Oculi et conspectus103

Nasi, oria, lingua, et verba104

Exaudite et tenete!"105

A powerful beam of light flowed out from Pyr's hand to the creatures. Destiny watched as faces slowly began to develop. Eyes, mouths, ears, and noses formed on each one. Then their eyes opened and the creatures smiled! The Dragon Lord even gave them a language so they could speak to one another! And they immediately began chattering and greeting each another. Then they looked around and for the first time really saw the land they called their home! They were so happy!106

However, they still had no names. So Pyr looked into each mind and told Destiny what that creature's best quality was and she gave it a suitable name. There was Tender Heart, Dream Follower, Smiling Maid, Handyman, Smarty, Far Seer, Lady Laughter, Music Man, Fast Runner, Spirit Caller, Healing Woman, Peacemaker, Valiant, Strong Man, and many others. They were no longer nameless or faceless, and they decided that from that day forward they would call themselves The Dragon People in honor of Pyr who had fulfilled the ancient prophecy that one day a dragon would come to help them. They thanked the Dragon Lord and so did Destiny, for his compassion and kindness.107

With that problem solved, Pyr turned his attention back to the bamboo. Using his extremely sharp claws, he clean cut the 100 poles needed for Destiny's tree house. As each pole fell to the ground Destiny picked it up, moved it off to the side and formed a neat pile. When all the poles had been cut, Pyr extended his dragon arm over the pile and said:108

"Bambusae decrescite!"109

The poles shrank to the size of pencils! Destiny then tied them together with a piece of twine that Handyman gave her and she tucked them into the pouch that Syren had given her for the journey. Pyr and Destiny were ready to leave, but the Dragon People came streaming out towards them..110

"Friends, don't leave yet!" called out Dream Follower. "We would like to help you build the tree house as a way of thanking you for giving us faces and names. Please take us with you!" 111

Pyr said, "Will you allow me to use a teleporting spell on you?"112

They answered yes in unison, so Pyr closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and opening his wings wide he said:113

" Populus transportetur!"114

The Dragon People instantly disappeared into thin air and Pyr immediately shape shifted into dragon form, placed Destiny on his back as before, and they headed back to the garden.115

When they arrived, Syren and Dinky already had a pitcher of never ending, ice-cold lemonade going for the Dragon People. Pyr and Destiny had some, too, and rested a while from their journey.116

Then Pyr asked Destiny to place the bamboo in the middle of the clearing and step back. He then reversed the reducing spell, returning the bamboo to its true size and he called everyone over to show them and discuss the tree house plans. 117

Before starting, Destiny walked over to Mr. Oak, who was now settled into his original patch of ground, and asked all the flowers and mushrooms to please move out of the way so that the work could begin.118

Then Pyr assigned everybody a different task: Some helped Destiny cut the bamboo to the proper size, others moved it over next to Mr. Oak, and others helped her tie the poles together into units. Others, after asking Mr. Oak's permission, climbed the tree to rig the pulleys with ropes to haul the units up to their proper place, and still others tied the units to Mr. Oak's branches, while Pyr directed the entire crew. 119

Since everyone was helping out, the tree house was finished quite quickly and then it was time to celebrate!120

Syren used her magic to summon a banquet and as the late afternoon slowly turned to twilight, Dinky started playing his flute. Destiny joined in on her harmonica and the Dragon People all hummed an accompaniment while Mr. Oak sang in his deep, mossy bass voice. Dee Bee was still on the windowsill, now lying down, just watching the festivities. 121

The party was in full swing when Destiny looked up into the night sky. There she saw her friend, the Dragon Lord Pyr, doing the Sky Dance: an aerobatic flight performed while breathing multi-colored flames; a most fearful and beautiful sight!122

As she watched in amazement she heard someone calling her from far away.123

"Destiny! It's time for dinner! Go wash your hands!" called her mom.124

Slowly Destiny opened her eyes and realized she had fallen asleep on the bed with her new book open beside her.125

"Yes, mom!" she called back.126

But just before she left her room she looked at the open book one last time and read:127

"Congratulations on your new tree house! I'm very happy it all worked out. But before you go to dinner, I wanted to tell you that while you and Lord Pyr were away in the Empire of the East, I spent a most delightful time getting to know Syren's cute little Book of Spells! Oh, and now that you know how to get in and out of your garden, this is just...128

The Beginning!"129