CHAPTER SIX
The Enchanted Amulet
Morning brought heavy clouds of chocolate-colored dust and whipping winds, gloomy weather that made it hard to remain hopeful.
“Off on another adventure, eh?” Cotton coughed, as he vaulted over a dust devil. “This is exciting. Just you and me on a quest to track down the golden key.”
“I just hope we can find it soon. This stuff is awful,” I choked. “I even have grit between my teeth.”
“What’d you say?” he shouted. “You’re a pit beneath my wreath. What does that mean?”
“Cotton, you need to clean out your ears.”
He leaned over and dumped what seemed like a bucket full of sand out of each ear. “That’s better.” He laughed, and I saw a pea-size pebble wedged between his two front teeth. “Don’t worry, kid, we’ll …show more content…
“No, not like that either.”
“A hiss?”
“No, it was more like a whoosh. In fact, it sounded just like a gust of wind. Then there was a frigid blast of air that pulled at me. Oh, how I shivered.” He paused to wipe away the tears that were now streaming down his little red cheeks.
I patted him on the shoulder.
“But I wouldn’t let the wind hold me back. I had to get to my wife. So I ran as fast as I could, and begged her to follow me.” He sniffled, pulled out a tiny silk handkerchief from a pocket inside his red vest, blew his nose and it sounded like the trumpet of an elephant. “She tried . . . I know she did. And I slowly fought my way toward her. I wanted to help her inside, but I kept losing ground. I’d take two steps forward and I would be three steps back. Over and over again. It was so frustrating. I felt like my feet were stuck in hot glue.”
“Was the ground soft, or was the wind holding you back?”
“It was a combination of both. At any rate, I wasn’t going anywhere fast. Like I said, I was trapped. So I told her to go inside and hide in our burrow till whatever it was drifted past. But, alas, my voice was lost in the squalls. I moved forward at a snail 's pace, and finally reached our door and rushed in.”
“Was she …show more content…
“I knocked over chairs and tables, emptied closets and scattered clothes. Eventually, I was forced to admit the evil fiend had carried her off. I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye. Why did that horrid creature take her away from me?” He sobbed—quiet sticky sobs which shook him. “What did I ever do to deserve that? Oh, never mind me. What did she do?
After that, I sat there for a long time thinking. Then I realized life is filled with bitter moments, punctuated by bliss, but the only thing that truly matters is love.”
“I’m really sorry, Cotton,” I whispered. “What did you do?”
“What could I do, other than go and find King Orrin and tell him what had happened.” He slipped a stone swung on a long gold chain from inside his shirt. The stone was the size of a sparrow’s egg, veined with ribbons of changing color. “He offered me this.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“An enchanted amulet. This green gemstone is solid jade. Orrin explained that I could use it to ward off witches. I hung it around my neck and went out to search for my wife. I looked everywhere. I even explored an ogres’ cave.”
“Ogre?”
“Oh yeah, those monsters have infested the kingdom, too.”
I grabbed him by the shoulder. “Come on, Cotton, we’ll find her.”
I watched his blue eyes grow wide and sparkle with anticipation. “When do you want to start
The Enchanted Amulet
Morning brought heavy clouds of chocolate-colored dust and whipping winds, gloomy weather that made it hard to remain hopeful.
“Off on another adventure, eh?” Cotton coughed, as he vaulted over a dust devil. “This is exciting. Just you and me on a quest to track down the golden key.”
“I just hope we can find it soon. This stuff is awful,” I choked. “I even have grit between my teeth.”
“What’d you say?” he shouted. “You’re a pit beneath my wreath. What does that mean?”
“Cotton, you need to clean out your ears.”
He leaned over and dumped what seemed like a bucket full of sand out of each ear. “That’s better.” He laughed, and I saw a pea-size pebble wedged between his two front teeth. “Don’t worry, kid, we’ll …show more content…
“No, not like that either.”
“A hiss?”
“No, it was more like a whoosh. In fact, it sounded just like a gust of wind. Then there was a frigid blast of air that pulled at me. Oh, how I shivered.” He paused to wipe away the tears that were now streaming down his little red cheeks.
I patted him on the shoulder.
“But I wouldn’t let the wind hold me back. I had to get to my wife. So I ran as fast as I could, and begged her to follow me.” He sniffled, pulled out a tiny silk handkerchief from a pocket inside his red vest, blew his nose and it sounded like the trumpet of an elephant. “She tried . . . I know she did. And I slowly fought my way toward her. I wanted to help her inside, but I kept losing ground. I’d take two steps forward and I would be three steps back. Over and over again. It was so frustrating. I felt like my feet were stuck in hot glue.”
“Was the ground soft, or was the wind holding you back?”
“It was a combination of both. At any rate, I wasn’t going anywhere fast. Like I said, I was trapped. So I told her to go inside and hide in our burrow till whatever it was drifted past. But, alas, my voice was lost in the squalls. I moved forward at a snail 's pace, and finally reached our door and rushed in.”
“Was she …show more content…
“I knocked over chairs and tables, emptied closets and scattered clothes. Eventually, I was forced to admit the evil fiend had carried her off. I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye. Why did that horrid creature take her away from me?” He sobbed—quiet sticky sobs which shook him. “What did I ever do to deserve that? Oh, never mind me. What did she do?
After that, I sat there for a long time thinking. Then I realized life is filled with bitter moments, punctuated by bliss, but the only thing that truly matters is love.”
“I’m really sorry, Cotton,” I whispered. “What did you do?”
“What could I do, other than go and find King Orrin and tell him what had happened.” He slipped a stone swung on a long gold chain from inside his shirt. The stone was the size of a sparrow’s egg, veined with ribbons of changing color. “He offered me this.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“An enchanted amulet. This green gemstone is solid jade. Orrin explained that I could use it to ward off witches. I hung it around my neck and went out to search for my wife. I looked everywhere. I even explored an ogres’ cave.”
“Ogre?”
“Oh yeah, those monsters have infested the kingdom, too.”
I grabbed him by the shoulder. “Come on, Cotton, we’ll find her.”
I watched his blue eyes grow wide and sparkle with anticipation. “When do you want to start