by: Annie Song

I stared at the window. It was raining and there was nothing to do on the farm. But there was something I needed to do very quickly. The Blueberry Amulets needed a plan. Now. See, we knew Raven was up to something. She always was messing around in the bathroom. Mom said that she had gotten some makeup with her own money [very likely-not] and really wanted to try some on. Raven said that it was hard trying to find the right places to put the right makeup.
At first, I believed her. I mean, after the prank we put on her, she was lowered from the highest popularity in middle school, to the lowest. I thought that she was trying to get back in the spotlight, trying to show how cool her makeup was and how she looked better with it. Now, I have different thoughts. Mind you, all of this makeup business started 2 weeks ago. But when she kept on doing it, I knew something was fishy.
I tried to talk to her and get something out, but failed every time. I was also very creeped out thinking about what she could’ve done. I’m not going to say anything, but I have lots of ideas she could’ve done.
“Hey,” someone called. I turned to see the dust bunnies walking over- wait. Walking? I looked closer.
“Why are you walking?” I asked.
“Because of me,” a voice grunted. I peered and tried to see the speaker but couldn’t match the voice with the people I saw.
“We found our old friend,” Red told me. Once she said that, everyone backed to the side to let me see this ‘old friend’. It was an old mouse, whiskers tangled and white. He was all white with a brown spot on his eye. His brown eyes were kind and his face looked like one who knew everything.
“Who is this?” I asked.
“I’m S’more,” the mouse said. “I helped them when their mother first was captured. I mentored Red on how to run a family. I can see I taught you well,” he said looking at Red. “They found me trying to get away.”
“Getting away from what?”
S’more sighed. “I was captured by Raven’s rats.”
“Rats?” I was startled. Then I figured it out. “Rats! She has rats! Oh rats!” I partly did it for fun because rats and rats? Get it? Oh whatever. Mostly, I did it because I really was angry. How did she get rats?
“Yep. And they’re strong,” S’more added. “I want to help and join with you. I feel like I should help my… well… family I guess. I never really met my family. They all were killed except my older sister. She taught me how to live. We lived peacefully for 2 years. Then there was a period where there was a lack of food. My sister died of starvation. She gave me all the food. I was determined to carry on my family’s wish to be the first of our kind to meet the mystical creatures of the past. I tried to make a living but failed to mate. I found your family and joined you guys. I helped your mother grow and live the way I wished I could’ve. I helped this family ever since.” he finished.
“So, why have you come back?” asked Jump.
“To tell you a story that will help you,” he replied. “Get cozy, this might be a long time. Now, let’s get started.”

The Thorns Bottle

So, long time ago there were the mystical creatures of the past. We still are here, mice, butterflies, dust bunnies, and many others. But before, we were different in a way nobody has found out. Well, we’re going to focus on a great king, the greatest king of his kind, and maybe the greatest of all. His name was Thornswood and he was a dragonfly. He started ruling in a peaceful time but things were about to change. A plague of locusts entered the kingdom. They weren’t very polite, eating grass, and destroyed parts of the land. They weren’t welcomed because of their actions. This resolved in fighting. It started with the butterflies fighting the locusts. Then, the fight grew, becoming a war.
It was very bloody and was going to last forever Thornswood realized if they didn’t sacrifice one of their lives. They kept on running, wanting to cling on life. Because of this, Thornswood decided to let go. On the 68th battle, Thornswood told his kingdom that he was letting go of fear. Then, he appointed Morningfire as the next king. Nobody really understood. I bet you don’t either. The dragonfly army charged out into the battlefield. They fought and fought until Thornswood faced the locust king who was named Bitterbean. “You’re too scared to fight against me aren’t you?” teased King Bitterbean.
Thornswood calmly said to the other king, “You are scared of death while I am not.” With that, they started fighting. They fought and fought for 3 hours. Then, Thornswood started stumbling. He collapsed. The locust king crouched over the dragonfly’s body. “Now is your time,” Bitterbean said. Before he could kill Thornswood, there was a blast of light that blasted anyone near away. It knocked the king so hard, that he became blind. It was clear that Thornswood had died but where his body should’ve been, was a glass bottle, with a potion swishing back and forth in the glass.
The battle was won. Morningfire ruled with justice. He treasured the bottle and called it ‘The Thorns Bottle’. He never drank it. After Morningfire’s rein, Moonsplash took up leadership. During his time, in an ambush by the moths, they had drunk most of the potion and had been trapped in a magical bubble and had been taken away. They still had the bottle and some people thought they should throw the bottle away. Moonsplash would’ve become one of the best rulers. He only ruled for 2 years due to his assassination by Blackeclipse. At the time, Blackeclipse was the general and according to law, he was suppose to take rule. After a vote, he became king. He threw the bottle away. Ever since, there had been a legend that with the bottle, the owner could do many things.

“I think if you find the bottle, then you could fight strong against Raven and beat her,” S’more finished.
I nodded. “Sounds good but, how are we going to find the bottle? We don’t even know where this land is!”
S’more was silent. “Not to make you feel bad S’more,” Pip told him looking at me. “But we just-“
“There is no need to apologize,” he interrupted. “I am the one who should apologize. I never told you.” He paused. “This house, your house Skyler, well… when your house wasn’t even built, I lived here. Many others did too. Those others, happened to be part of the kingdom we are talking about.” Everyone gasped.
“So, you mean the land we’re standing on could’ve been where kings and queens could’ve slept?” Eve asked excitedly.
S’more laughed. “Not really. Their kingdom was very big. It probably took up this whole town. There were and maybe still are lots of other kingdoms you know. But my point is, that the bottle is around here. We can find it.”
That settled it. We all agreed to keep our eyes peeled. We also told Nut, Jump, and Spring to search all over the under of the bed. That was the good part. But I needed to go to the bathroom. Really bad. I was shaking as I climbed down the ladder with my bag with Diz and Pip. In the bathroom, nothing happened thankfully.
The next two days were days of trying to find the Thorns Bottle. While I did chores, I tried to find it with Diz and Pip. The other dust bunnies looked too. S’more introduced his friend, Cracker. Both of them knew all of the house like they knew their name. They searched in the tunnels and pipes of the house. They found nothing either.
On the 3rd day, Red thought that if Raven was spending a lot of time in the bathroom, then she might know about the bottle and found clues in the bathroom. Red told me to check out the bathroom if I could. Of course I could! Who couldn’t?
I went down the ladder to the 2nd floor. In the hallway, the bathroom stood at the end. I went over to the door and knocked. I thought that Raven would be in there doing her makeup. She wasn’t. I opened the door. I sat on the toilet and-well did what you do on a toilet. I looked around as I did. I saw nothing.
As I got up from the toilet, there was a noise that sounded like… a fire alarm! I quickly leapt up from the toilet [with my pants on] and tried to get to the door. I somehow slipped and fell, crashing on the floor. I tried to get up but by knees were aching and my head hurt for it had hit the floor. I stumbled up. “You okay?” Diz asked right as I tripped again and fell in the bathtub which okay, but when it’s full of water? It’s really soggy and annoying. I was soaking to my skin and my bag was floating in the water. Wait… it was the bag with dust bunnies! Dust bunnies don’t really get along with water. They would get soaked to well… death I guess.
“Get out!” I called, not too loudly to the bag. “You’re in water! Hurry! I fell in the bathtub! Please tell me you’re okay. Please!” Okay, that might sound ridiculous, I fell in the bathtub and it was an emergency. But this was a matter of life or death! Of course this was an emergency! Then another thought popped in my head. Raven. She must’ve done this! I’ll get you back, I thought to her. I will.
What would I tell mom? How would I explain my wet clothes? My sore legs and head? Oh boy, oh boy. This fight against Raven was going a bit too far. Did Raven even think how much it would hurt? The gummy bear didn’t do much. But this? You got to be kidding me. I saw Pip and Diz who had flown to safety.
“It was Raven,” I told them. They nodded. As I got out of the bathtub, I spotted something glinting in the pipe. I got closer, getting back in the tub.
“What is it?” Pip asked. I kept on fingering through the bars of the pipe and managed to see the outline of a bottle. The bottle? Was it? I couldn’t reach but I bet the dust bunnies could. I let the water drift down the pipe. Diz and Pip couldn’t get it because of the wetness. We had to get Cracker to help. He managed to get the object. He gave it to me to look at.
I peered at the bottle. It had golden designs of dragonflies all around the bottle. The cork had a tiny signature, very fancy and pretty. It read, King Thornswood loving king of dragonflies with hearts of dragons. At least that’s what I thought it said. I wanted to do a happy dance. I had found the bottle while in a prank! That was something. To find a legend while you are soaking wet from a bathtub. Anyway, we headed quickly to my room and showed everyone our find. Everyone was excited and happy.
“How do we know if this is the bottle and what do we do with it?” asked Ever, staring wearily at the bottle.
“According to legend, we are suppose to say the right words and if the words fit, then the right event will happen.” S’more told us.
“Who should say it?” I asked. “How about S’more?”
He turned and thought about it for a moment. “I’m honored,” he said and he began.
S’more’s Words
Oh King Thornswood, I know you are listening to me and I want to please you with my words to bless us with what we need and deserve. I respect what you chose to do about the battle with Bitterbean. But I would like to tell you something. The stories say that you left the world and left a bottle with the potion. But I think you didn’t leave the world. I believe that you are the potion. It doesn’t make sense for you to leave something to help when you are so loyal to your kingdom. I know that you did that. I feel pity for you. You had to see the world, your former world go through such times and you couldn’t do anything. You just couldn’t. And I don’t know what else you might’ve suffered. I’m sure this wasn’t what you expected. You thought you could go back in the world and help not just sit there.
I think you are brave and I have much pity for you watching the world like that. I want that to end for you. Please, bless all of us.
I was touched by his words. When he finished, he stepped back and we waited. We waited for 2 minutes. Then, the bottle shook. It shook in the place we put it which was on the floor. Then, sparks flew. The little designs came to life, swirling around the bottle chanting dragonfly language. All the golden light suddenly zapped at the bottle, and the bottle broke into pieces. The little drop of potion and the light was so bright, that we had to look away.
When I turned back to look, there were two figures, rising from the broken glass and light. When they stood up and came to us, I saw them, two dragonflies, one was green and brown and elderly while the other was orange. When they came closer S’more cried out and bowed before them. “Bow!” he hissed at us.
“”No worries,” said the elderly dragonfly. The orange dragonfly looked at the green one and the green one nodded. “I am the old and ancient King Thornswood and this is my healer and brother, Flyingleaf.”