In a dark corner of the darkest of places sat a sad spirit. A once happy spirit, Mayor Jolly Pumpkin. True to the evil queen’s word, she had had the mayor captured and tortured—his scarecrow body plucked, twisted and singed in so many ways that all that remained was his sad pumpkin head resting upon a pile of partially-burnt straw, tattered clothes and crunched up hat. Worse still, she had ordered the red white and blue MAYOR banner he so proudly wore to be burned. In its place, the word NOBODY was crudely painted in yellow across his hat. His eyes were closed, his smile gone, as he rested…waiting…hoping some how, some way, someone out there would free him from his horrible situation.
And then…someone, or something did.
In the tiniest of cracks, between two of the dungeon wall blocks, a small green vine emerged. Slowly pushing its way through the cracks, the mortar holding the blocks together began to give way—cracking and crumbling.
Hearing the tiny little vine at work, Jolly’s left eye opened with curiosity. “What is that?” he mumbled to himself.
The determined vine turned into three, which continued to push their way through the wall, wrapping and intertwining around themselves right in front of the curious mayor.
“Well this is a nice surprise,” said Jolly.
Before the mayor stood three lovely sprites.
“I can not tell you how happy I am to see you,” said the mayor.
“As happy as we are to find you, I am sure,” one of the sprites replied with a projected voice, as sprites have no mouths.
“How did you ever find me?”
“Abigale showed us where you were using her magic crystal pumpkin.”
“I should have known,” Jolly replied.
One of the sprites held her hand over the mayor’s parts and rubbed her fingers together. Magical sprite dust coated the unattached parts of Jolly’s body, twinkling and sparkling. The body parts suddenly began to move—assembling the mayor back to whole.
“I haven’t felt this good in a long time,” said the mayor, as he gave a big stretch and brushed off his jacket.
A second sprite flicked her hand towards Jolly. His MAYOR banner magically appeared—draped across his jacket, and the unfriendly graffiti that had been paint on his hat, vanished.
“Oh. Thank you dear, said Jolly.”
The third sprite turned back to the wall and extended her arms outward. Her vine-like limbs penetrated the crack in the wall from which they entered and began to branch outward in all directions—turning the small crack into a doorway-size exit. Returning her arms back to normal, she looked at the mayor and said, “Are you ready, Mayor?”
“More than you could ever imagine.”
The three sprites magically joined together to form a flying horse. Its body, made of intricately woven vines. Its wings, mare and tail were made of leaves—it’s crystal, leaf-shaped eyes, chartreuse green.
Jolly jumped on and the horse took off through the doorway, up into the dark skies of the Shadow Kingdom.
“Where are we headed?” asked the mayor.
“To see the pumpkin fairy,” the flying horse replied.
******
Soaring overhead, the majestic sprite horse began its approach into the battle-scarred garden covered with piles of shredded straw, smashed pumpkins, mangled vines, mounds of dirt, holes and crevices left behind by the wake of the evil queen’s attack earlier that week.
“Careful now ladies, we’re coming in a little hot,” said the mayor.
In a head-on nose dive, wings tucked back, the sprite horse quickly approached the garden surface.
“Ohhh, I don’t like this, said Jolly, covering his glowing eyes with one large, white-gloved hand and holding down his hat with the other.
Ten feet from the ground the majestic flying creature pulled up and spread its wings—transitioning into a graceful glide across the enchanted garden.
The mayor uncovered his eyes with a sigh of relief. “I truly hope we never do that again.”
Up ahead, tucked back in the far right corner of the garden, a tired willow tree sat all alone. It’s long, lazy branches draping all around, nearly touching the ground.
The sprite horse rapidly closed in on the tree.
“Um, there’s a tree up ahead,” said Jolly. “I think you need to—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the branches on the tree parted like curtains, creating an entryway for the flying horse and her passenger.
A burst of brilliant orange flooded the entryway as the horse tucked her wings and glided in.
Smaller and smaller, shrinking down to the size of ants, the sprite horse and Jolly skirted a mushroom, then a tuft of grass. They shot through a hole at the base of the willow which opened up into a cozy little room with a crystal pumpkin sitting atop a matchbox table. Five mushroom chairs sat around the table. Across the tiny room, a fireplace, burning with magic embers—cast a soft glow of orange and yellow.
Jolly unmounted the horse, who’s vines unraveled, turning back into three lovely sprites. One of which, turned to the fireplace, inviting the mayor to look as well.
The magical fireplace crackled and popped. It’s golden flames grew brighter as a sparkle of orange grew out from its center—growing brighter, larger and closer to the mayor and his friends. Slowly, a winged female figure emerged. Her skin was luminescent. Her long golden hair glowed like the warm sun. Welcoming the mayor with her crystal blue eyes, the pumpkin fairy said, “So happy to see you made it here safely.”
“It’s good to see you as well, Abby,” said the mayor.
“Sit down, won’t you. I have so much to tell you,” said the pumpkin fairy.
******
Abigale had just finished bringing Jolly up to speed on all she had recently learned from her magic crystal pumpkin. How she had foreseen their Patron friend’s tragic fate in a dark land made of ice and lava that sat beneath WONDER’S Tower of Terror Hotel. And how the evil queen and the Dark Thorns had brought about such misfortune by setting a trap.
“Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good at all. What can I do to help?” Jolly asked.
“We plan to find them and lend our support and we’d like you to join us,” the pumpkin fairy replied.
“So when do we leave?”
Abigale gave the mayor a humble smile, then replied, “Immediately.”
“How do we get there?” the mayor asked.
“That’s the easy part,” Abigale replied. Raising her hands high, she waved her wand in a circle while saying the magic words, “Twirl and blow, to the tower we go!”
A trail of magic fairy dust shot out from her wand and swirled around the table and its guests. The faster it swirled, the brighter it sparkled. The table and seated guests rose high up into the air, then magically, disappeared.
******
All was calm across the treacherous land of the frozen white pumpkin. Hot molten lava continued to flow towards, and up into, the icy snow covered hill upon which the giant jack-o-lantern sat.
A swirling mass of sparkling orange grew out of thin air, expanded, then burst open like a firework— leaving behind Jolly, Abigale and her sprites.
“No sign of life anywhere,” said the mayor, as they looked around.
“Quick, we need to get to the top of that hill,” said the pumpkin fairy—pointing towards the large, ominous jack-o-lantern.
The sprites once again combined to form a magic flying horse.
Abigale waved her wand. Shrinking to the size of a sparrow, she took off flying towards the hill.
Jolly jumped onto the horse, who shot off in a full gallop before taking to the air.
The fairy and magic horse pulled side-by-side, streaking across the dark sky. Hoping, in their hearts, that it was not too late.
© 2024 Charles E. Zitta. Charles E. Zitta and Disney and the Wonder Within blog novels are in no way part of, endorsed or authorized by, or affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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