Sangeetha Kamath

                                                  CHAPTER 26 FINALE                     ZEALOT, OUR HOPPER The Starwood Crystal unhinged itself from the cradle of incandescent bubble and flew straight into Hopper’s waiting paws. Like it was always his. The moment it touched fur, the countdown died down. And then the roof of the cavern shuddered.   The lush canopy of the Apple Tree splayed open like hands in devotion. The catacombs gasped. The walls groaned and granulated in powdery snow all around them as they found themselves standing in the glade. The tree had shed its camouflage. Cold night air revived them with a fragrance of freshly fallen dew and victory.  Papa Koala was hobbling. No nod this time. No benediction. He trudged painfully crossing the distance between them and wrapped his grea...

                        CHAPTER 25                        INÉZ ARTIFACTS  Mayhem tore all through the Xaringmere Cragg Rise camp that was roused from deep sleep. Fires were snuffed. Tents were torn down. The sky had ripped open and shown its allegiance to the law. The constellation Uri Celeste hailed its crest across the cloudless moonshine.  A slick moon ray speared straight through the leaves in a single icy blue shaft and struck the glade. The world was painted  silver-blue even as the air tasted like fresh frost.   “It isn't cup,” Goldwynn whispered. Her breath, fogging. “ It’s a time keeper of the skies .”   The Locke Jewel was a perfect moonstone disc, palm-wide, no thicker than a thumb. A flawless otherworldly crystal, cold to the eye, warm to the touch. Its edge had caught the lantern light and had thrown it back in dancing r...

                            CHAPTER 24                           URI CELESTE  They worked fast. Locket, Marble, Flintstone, Acorn, Cup. Five heartbeats. Five clicks that dropped but… Nothing happened ! Mist hung between the roots that held their breath. The Glade was listening. Somewhere past the treeline, a twig snapped. A pig scout, maybe. Too close.   The sixth slot yawned empty. Dapper’s paw shot for a low branch, claws itching to yank the nearest fruit.   “ Wait!”   Goldwynn’s voice wasn’t a shout. It was a plucked bowstring, thin and sharp. “Easy does it ! Let me see...”   The knoll wafted up old fear. The rising moon bled through the horizon in thin, cold ribbons, turning every leaf into a silver blade.  Blaire’s parting words gnawed at her. Your cup brimmeth over…  Was she talking about Tasha...

                         CHAPTER 23                  GATES TO THE VAULT  Three days of trudging, trekking and aching muscles later, the cozy, sunlit, honeyed woods of Bramble Shire were miles behind them.  At the edge of the deep, fog covered forest, a wispy figure appeared before them –The Guardian Maiden, Blaire barricading their way. "What do you seek in Mistwood Shadow Glade?" Her voice was the soft breeze that twirled around them. Ethereal!  Hopper stepped forward gingerly. "The Locke Jewel. The last shard to piece together the Starwood Crystal. Where’s it hidden?" Blaire pursed her lips. "I’ll trade, as you know. Tell me your deepest secret. One you’d kill to hide." Chipper tensed. Hopper hesitated. There was a lot at stake, when she prodded, “The Pigs are closing in. Time is of the essence here, Rabbit ! If you don’t choose, you lose." Papa Koala warned, " ...

                            CHAPTER 22           JOURNEY MOST TREACHEROUS  The plan was set. With a departure set before daybreak they would easily avoid the pig patrols, reaching Mistwood Shadow Glade before the Mighty Boar knew their agenda.  As they filed out to grab minimal winks of sleep that wouldn’t come, the crystal apple sat alone in the dark, throwing tiny red constellations across the ceiling in the library. Watching. Waiting. They packed ammo for the battle of the ages.  "Mistwood Shadow Glade is three days away. Day one: Cross the dell before twilight or the pig scouts sniff out your wake.  Day Two: Skirt around the Bone Fields. Better still, avoid it altogether! We take shortcuts through low lying rivers. Water hides our scent. Day three: Reach the fringes of the Mistwood Shadow Glade. Keep the shards from getting activated along the way. No fires after dusk. ...

                         CHAPTER 21  WHEN THE SHARDS SING, the BEAST                                   AWAKENS  Dawn was hours away, but nobody at Meadow Brook Cottage was sleeping.   The stew was gone. The bread was devoured. The porridge pot was polished clean. The berry tart for dessert existed only as stains on Dapper’s snout. Tasha slept by the hearth, her milk cup clutched to her like a shield. The Knights Army sat around the scarred oak table, full-bellied and hollow-eyed, because Papa Koala’s words were still heavy in the air. As they pored over the map, Tasha roused from her sleep and knocked over her milk cup. Her milk cup rolled across the floorboards, hit the table and stopped dead against the oaken leg directly under the crystal apple. Both the objects buzzed in sync. Tasha whimpered in her sleep and t...

                            CHAPTER 20        SECRETS OF THE LOCKE JEWEL   The path from Gloom Spout Trail emerged into honeyed light. Meadow Brook Cottage appeared in the distance looking like a paradise after the hellish scenario of the cave. The windows of the cottage were burnished gold against the bruising purple of encroaching twilight. The brook itself chuckled merrily past the doorstep, and for one heartbeat nobody spoke. They’d made it. With Tasha. Alive. They hurried inside, ravenous enough to devour food for an army. Coco, Goldwynn and Papa Koala set out to cook a scrumptious meal for everyone. The dining table was a wide, scarred oak. They fell on it like wolves. Goldwynn tore apart fresh biscuit rolls. Hopper, Dapper and Chipper inhaled the mushroom stew straight from the pot, passing on steaming bowls Tasha, swaddled in her downy quilt, dozed by the hearth — exhausted and co...

                            CHAPTER 19         KNIGHTS ARMY OF THE KOALAS  Mama Bear's eyes widened as Goldwynn, Chipper, Dapper, and Hopper gathered around her. “Coco," Goldwynn said gently. "We need to find Baby Tasha, pronto. It's a race against time.The pigs haven't solved the clues yet, and Tasha is leveraged to pry it out of us." Mama Bear's face crumbled. "Those pigs! I warned Papa Bear they were trouble.” Papa Bear stared into space. “What's the plan, Goldwynn?" Goldwynn's eyes sparkled. "We need to find Tasha. Chipper, can you sniff her out?" Chipper's nose twitched. "I can try. But I'll need something with Tasha's scent." Mama Bear handed Chipper Tasha's favorite milk cup. Chipper took a deep sniff and set off, the group following close behind. As they navigated the forest, the trees clumped closer, casting dark shadows. "Why!This is the Gloom Sprout Trail that leads to the treachero...

                         CHAPTER 18                  OMINOUS ORDEALS  The bears startled, then Papa Koala rumbled, "Goldilocks! You…how can it be !” Goldwynn knelt among the bears in the arbor, Mama Koala still sniffling into her shoulder. "I'm Goldwynn, Papa Koala...Goldilocks was my great grandma. So... what happened that day? Why are you hiding away here ?" Papa Koala’s fur bristled.He growled low, his eyes clouding. "The pigs... they came like a thunderstorm banging on the doors and shattering our windows." Mama Koala trembled, clutching a torn apron corner. "I hid Baby Tasha in the cupboard. Told her... 'Hush, sweetpea, like a little mouse!' But…" Papa Koala’s fur ruffled as he puffed out his chest. "I stood tall.'This is OUR cottage!' I said. Goldwynn leaned in and patted his arm Papa Koala snorted. "Baconne pig struck me with a stick. Porkinn pig fluffed porridge e...

                      CHAPTER 17             QUEST FOR THE BEARS  The next day, the pigs trotted off to spread mischief in the woodland, their ricky-ticky steps scuffing the damp path into a mess of overturned leaves and broken twigs. Goldwynn stayed crouched behind the wonky rain barrel until the sound of their pig-trouble thinned, then thinned again, then dissolved into the larger quiet of the trees. She didn’t move right away. The woods had a way of listening after the pigs left, as if it wasn’t sure they were truly gone. The air held its breath with her. When she finally stood, the silence felt heavier than noise. No birds called. The light came down in broken pieces, the sun playing hide-and-seek through beech and alder, dappling the forest floor with spools of pale gold. The ground under her boots was soft and cold, a black earth that smelled of truffles gone to rot and old rain. It stuck to ...

                          CHAPTER 16                    THE BIG BAD WOLF  The pigs snarled like proper rascals, fixing their cold steely eyes on the Wolf's cottage. How dare he refuse to part with his cottage! When the pigs demand, it's given to them---no questions asked! Porkinn limped, Baconne was soggy, Swinedell rubbed a sore bump on his head, but they were far from defeated. Swinedell snorted, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "Wolf thinks 'e's posh, don't 'e? " Baconne sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring. "We want the cottage!” He growled. Porkinn cracked his fingers, his sly glance darting about.  The pigs crept towards the back door, their footsteps silent on the soft grass. They spotted the Wolf through the kitchen window, stirring a pot of steaming stew for dinner. They kicked the door in, the wood splintering jaggedly. The latch gave in....

                            CHAPTER 15                RUTHLESS REVELATIONS The Three Little Pigs stood triumphant in the whimsical cottage's living room, surrounded by mismatched furniture and waltzing dust motes. Baconne , Porkinn , and Swinedell grinned at each other, puffing out their chests like gangsters. Baconne swaggered closer to the makeshift bar. "You know," he said, stroking his shoulder, "the Big Bad Wolf wasn't so bad after all, was he?" His grin split wide, showing a gold-capped tooth. The pigs snorted, their belly laughs vibrating the chandeliers above. Swinedell poured three tiny glasses of wild truffle liqueur with a theatrical flourish. "Cheers to us!" he growled, hoisting a glass. "We wanted his posh cottage for ourselves. Wolfie mutt was just defending his pad." His eyes glinted like cheap jewels. Goldwynn's face paled. She stammered as she whispered, " Wha...

                          CHAPTER 14                          NO ESCAPE! Porkinn snarled wickedly, his gold chain swinging like a pendulum. Goldwynn, curled up and froze her eyes wide, face getting paler by the minute. Baconne lumbered in, Swinedell sliding in behind like a ghost.  Goldwyn lifted her chin, voice shaking a little. "I'm waiting for the bears." Porky chuckled, low and mean . "Bears ain't comin’ They're... displaced. Baconne guffawed, Porkinn’s grin was sinister. Goldwynn squinted her lips tight.  Porkinn leaned in, breathing on her face. "You wanna play nice? Tell us where the Locke Jewel is." Goldwynn clamped her mouth shut . No sooner Porkinn’s grin vanished . Baconne grabbed a nearby vase. "Tell us, or...  Goldwynn flinched. Porrkinn laughed, darting to the kitchen. "Let’s rummage the place." Baconne smashed the vase on th...

                           CHAPTER 13                          FIERY FRACAS  The brawl raged – fur flying, wood creaking, critters yelling. The pigs were outnumbered, but they weren't going down without a fight. Swinedell smashed a wooden chair, sending splinters flying. Porkinn kicked Chipper, sending him tumbling. Dapper somersaulted off a shelf, landing a series of rapid-fire nips on his scalp. Goldwynn yanked Baconne's tail, spinning him into a bookshelf. Hopper grabbed Porrkinn holding him in a tight rabbit grip. "Yield, porkchop!" he growled. Porrkinn grunted, his eyes glinting with malice as he cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing through like a threat. His porcine features twisted into a cruel grin, flashing a missing tooth, a souvenir from a previous brawl.  "You see, girl, we run things here," he drawled, his voice dripping with ...

                               CHAPTER 12                     PESKY PUNKY PIGS  Wait! Footsteps trampled heavily down the path. Goldwynn leaned out but couldn't make out much. The three little pigs sauntered down the twilight-dusted road, exuding an air of menace. Swinedell , the self-appointed kingpin, led the pack, his slicked-back scalp gleaming like polished onyx in the fading light. A black leather jacket with silver spikes seemed to swallow his frame, and ripped jeans added an air of dishevelment to his ruffian looks. A chunky gold chain swung from his neck, proclaiming his turf dominance. Baconne , the behemoth, rolled his massive shoulders, his sleeveless and shredded denim vest straining to contain the tattooed chaos beneath. His tree-trunk arms were a roadmap of pig-centric graffiti, each inked swirl – formidable. His heavy boots pulverized ...

                      CHAPTER 11     YARN OF THE GLOOMSPROUT DALE The mid morning sun streamed into the cozy cottage, casting a warm glow over the assembly. Goldwynn, with a deft touch, stirred the bubbling cauldron of honey oat mush for the darling critters who had been looking forward to this since forever. Dapper, Chipper, and Hopper sat at the table with anticipation.Their eyes were fixed upon the repast being prepared for their pleasure. "Goldwynn, what's the plan ? Where could the Bears be ?" Hopper furrowed his brow, worry writ large on his face. Goldwynn, with a gentle smile, poured the steaming Chamomile tea into delicate china cups, the aroma of the herb mingling with the scent of the steeped apple slices in it.  "We'll figure out a way soon, squad," she said, her voice as soothing as the gentle lullaby of the forest. “Meanwhile, toss your fretting onto the wind and have a hearty meal." Chipper's ears perked...