The Ghosts of GingerBread Castle and the Twelve Days of Christmas

Chapter 13

The nighttime bore an unexplained eeriness to it. Bathed in navy blue light, with the trees and plants pulsating in neon purple, everything seemed strangely aware of my presence—or so I felt—and I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. The chilly breeze sent shivers up my spine as I quickly scanned my surroundings, wondering where I should proceed. Noticing a red footpath, the only footpath noticeable, I proceeded toward it, thinking it was bound to lead somewhere—Perhaps the white cobbled lane.

As I proceeded along, I thought of Sinella and wondered where she'd gone. Then I recalled the creature—my so-called guide's words that the squawks of the yellow-billed birds would lead me to them, and that theirs were the loudest! Strangely, there was not a sound at the moment, except for the eerie breeze which seemed to whisper my name, and a warning, repeatedly—Heidi, hurry. Heidi, hurry. Heidi, hurry.

Something in the night sky drew my attention. A huge black mass. The more I looked, it appeared to move, as if advancing. The mass quickly turned to scattered black spots, which soon descended upon me in swarms. Wild and unfamiliar, loudly buzzing insects stuck to my hair and head, and one even tried to enter my ears, making me cover them, as I stomped my feet madly and jumped around wildly, screaming, trying to shake them off me. I removed one hand from my ear to grab at my hair and head wildly, hitting them off me. But they wouldn't leave me, so I screamed and raced off, trying to outrun them. I needed to be anywhere but there. Seeking the light, I stood under the bright golden neon glow of a gigantic tree beneath which a stream flowed. I got in and drenched myself, sending the wild creatures away, except for a few that were caught in my wild beatings and got killed. Emerging out of the stream, I looked down at my drenched clothing, shivering from the cold. A single insect, half alive, clung to my dress. I watched it as it squeaked and tried to fly away. I lay it down on the ground and watched it some more before finally moving on.

It didn't take me long to notice that I wasn't alone. I seemed to be pursued by some strangely humming weird creature, that looked as if alight with golden wings, a creature the likes of which I'd never seen, and could only dream of. I stopped suddenly, and it too stopped. Then I continued and it did likewise. I tried to throw it off track, but to no avail.

Suddenly, the loud squawking of birds filled the air. I imagined them to be the yellow-billed birds the creature talked about. I walked along the stream—the crystal water reflecting the light of the new moon. The stream strangely appeared to lead toward the birds, and so I continued along, with the strange insect tailing me. The more I advanced, the neon pulsating trees diminished, and became nonexistent in these parts until everything appeared darker and darker, and my eyes became my light, illuminating the area closest to me, leaving the distance up ahead cloaked in darkness. At once, from out of nowhere, an animal darted across the stream in front of me, as if in fright. It resembled a deer, but I couldn't tell in the darkness.

Suddenly, I noticed something on my person shining like a light, and looking down, noticed my necklace illuminated. It contained a little vial, like a miniature crystal, only it appeared to contain a screw cap at the top. How strange that I never noticed it before. The crystal light radiated and illuminated the surrounding darkness like a torch. It was a bonus to my eyesight in this darkness. However, the added light couldn't pierce through the increasing mist I soon found myself in.

I kept to the stream as much as I could, the sounds of squawking birds echoing through the forest. They sounded closer now. The stream rounded and ended abruptly near a totem with a symbol of a bird at the top. Alongside the totem was a white cobbled lane upon which two yellow billed birds pecking at something on the ground, as one other stood as if entranced at me. The winged insect buzzed wildly, and I was afraid it might scare the birds away. Luckily it didn't. The bird that had it's eye on me turned it's head to both sides, just as a shadowy creature emerged from the darkness and stood staring at me. The creature seemed to have no solid form, save that of a shadow, it's piercing and shining red eyes observing me. The winged insect disappeared all at once, as if frightened off by the shadowy beings. The shadowy figure stooped, gathering up the bird in one sweep of the arm, as the others flew off as if also startled. The shadowy being produced a birdcage, as if from out of thin air and placed the bird inside it, as it squawked wildly.

The creature approached, holding out the bird cage for me, as if urging me to take it. I reached for the cage, hesitantly, hoping that this wasn't some sort of trap.

No sooner had I taken hold of the cage, than the shadowy being vaporized before my eyes. Still, I was able to see it, almost like a fiery spirit, lifting higher and higher into the night air, until it was just a red speck above me that soon vanished. At once, the mist lifted, alerting me to the twenty something other shadowy beings, who all stood staring at me, their faces expressionless. A few stood near me, and the others, some distance away. After a while, they too vaporized before my eyes, lifting higher and higher, until they vanished completely.

I hastened to get back. I turned to look at the bird and my eyes caught onto something attached to its right leg. It fell off as if by magic and flew away to land at my feet. I snatched it up to see that it was a note that read: "The first day of Christmas—a yellow-billed bird that sings at 6:00 a.m. on the morrow! Be sure to listen well!"