Clockwork City

The Tree of Keys

Sandra and Nimrod stared at the tree. "There is something odd about the leaves of the tree. The leaves are glittering," said Nimrod squinting, as if to make sure he was seeing things right.

Then went closer to the tree and Teddy said, "how strange, the leaves look..."

"They look like keys!" said Sandra and then something started rattling in her pocket. She took the box with the phoenix pearl out and one of the keys floated down from the tree like a leaf falling. Teddy snatched it from the air and gave it to Sandra.

Sandra's hands shook as she fitted the key into the keyhole. She turned the key and the box opened. She gasped there was another box with the box. She held the box hoping that another key might drop off the tree.

Teddy reached up and tried to pluck one of the keys but tug as he might the key he was tugging remained stitch fast on to the tree. "That's odd," said Teddy looking around. Then he pointed further beyond the tree they were standing. There was another tree with sparkling leaves.

"Looks like it is another one. It is the only one with sparkling leaves that I can see. They walked towards it. Sandra was carrying the part open box with her. They stood under the tree and once again one of the leaves which were keys floated down and Nimrod caught it and gave it to Sandra. Sandra fitted the key into the keyhole and the box opened.

They went on following tree after tree and catching key after key until Sandra unlocked the final box. Teddy and Nimrod stood gaping as she lifted the final lid. Inside was something. It was perfectly round and as the sunlight fell on it it began to grow and grow.

It got too heavy to hold for Sandra and the box slipped out of her hand and fell with a crash. The thing they thought was a pearl cracked and shot up into the air and caught on fire. 

The fire rose into the air and slowly it faded. Sandra blinked and flapping its wings in front of her was the strangest bird she had ever seen. It had golden feathers as if they had been dipped in summer sunlight. Sandra, Teddy and Nimrod looked on as the bird came and settled on Sandra's shoulder.

"What kind of bird is it?" asked Teddy, looking at the bird that had settled on Sandra's shoulders.

"I am a phoenix," replied a voice that came from the bird. Everyone stared at the bird as if they weren't sure they had heard it speak a moment ago.

"Did you speak?" asked Sandra, finally finding her voice.

"Yes, I did," said the phoenix, bobbing its head up and down like a parrot Sandra had seen once before in a shop.

"Well, so the Phoenix Pearl is actually an egg?" asked Sandra, realising that the pearl had been not a regular pearl but a real phoenix egg. 

"It seems so," said Teddy as he watched the phoenix preen its feathers.

"Where are we?" asked Sandra looking around her. The leaves of the trees were dazzling in the sunlight.

"We are in the Quest Forest," said the phoenix, taking off Sandra's shoulder and landing on the floor. Then the phoenix grew and grew until it was larger than a dog, a cow and finally it was slightly larger than a horse. "Get on, I will take you away from here."

Sandra, Teddy and Nimrod clambered onto the phoenix and it took off up into the air. It soared up and up further and further away from the forest with the trees with keys.

Higher and higher they flew up into the clouds closer to the sun. Sandra squinted her eyes as the sun shone brightly down on them.

"Well, where are we going?" Sandra asked as something whisked past them. There came the sound again like a muffled whistle.