The Portals of Amaranth

Chapter Four -

Chapter Four

After a while the forest receded. A wide, stone bridge came into view.

“Sumner’s Bridge,” Sara declared. “Bevall is in the valley below. Do you see?”

Josh looked across the river, but all he saw was an endless sea of hills and treetops.

Sara dashed onto the bridge. “Hurry, we’re so close!”

By the time he reached the center of the bridge, he discovered he could see a town below. What he saw was nothing like Phoenix. The houses were not at all like the modern type he grew up seeing. The stone and wood structures looked more like a medieval village.

Sara was already off the bridge and starting down the road. Josh hurried to catch up. Before he knew it, they were walking past the cottages he had seen from the bridge.

“This is where you live?” Josh ran his hand along a smooth log fence as they passed. A never-ending supply of multicolored flowers grew everywhere. Lush green Ash trees lined the streets, draped with delicate colored ribbons. The whole place could have been plucked straight from a fairy tale book.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Sara sighed. She plucked a purple hibiscus flower and tucked in behind her ear.

From the endless beds of flowers, to the brightly decorated doors and storefront signs, everywhere Josh looked he saw a kaleidoscope of color. Even the people strolling along the streets wore softly colored, delicate clothing.

Sara fit right in here. Everyone dressed in the same flowing chiffon clothes as Sara wore—even the guys. Josh thrust his hands deep into his pockets. Give me jeans and a t-shirt any day.

When they reached the town square, Josh recognized it from the painting in the round room. Bevall Square was a large park with deep green grass. The most prominent feature of the park was an impressive square fountain. Water bubbled out gently from three tiers in the center. Nestled inside the floor of the fountain was an assortment of marble tables and chairs, sheltered from the sun and water by enormous umbrellas. People sat at the tables sipping drinks, reading papers, or eating sandwiches. All the while, cool water swirled and bubbled around their bare feet.

“Awesome! That’s exactly what Phoenix needs.”

Sara pointed at a row of shops to Josh’s right. A wooden butterfly, glittering and blue, hung above a busy café. He ventured a guess.

“The Blue Butterfly?”

Sara nodded. “I wish we had time to stop. They have the best peach squares. And the grilled tomato sandwich, with a side of fried pickles—that’s my favorite.”

“Stop, you’re killing me.” Josh slapped his hand to his growling stomach. The toast and eggs he’d eaten earlier weren’t doing much for him now. “I’m so hungry I could probably choke down those fried pickles.” He wrinkled up his nose.

“Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” Sara whacked his shoulder.

Josh followed her away from the intoxicating smells of the busy square. She led them onto another flower-filled street, aptly named Orchid Lane. They walked past four houses before she stopped in front of a thick wooden gate. This one looked similar to all the others, stones of different shapes and colors mortared together into neat little houses. The roofs came in all shapes and sizes, thatched with the same dark fibers. A tall stone chimney rose crookedly from the top of this house, making it look taller and skinnier than the others around it.

Thick trees, which Josh could not identify, stood in the front yard like two grand pillars. Each one’s branches heavy with blue and yellow flowers. Except for the path of stones leading to the porch, soft grass, greener than any Josh had ever seen, dominated the entire yard.