The Guardian Amulet
Siena Centonze-Williams | Mullum Primary School |
English | Term 2, 2024
The Guardian Amulet
The noises of the bustling street outside raise me to my senses. I get up and stretch. Yet another day of grinding herbs and making salves. I sigh. As I glance out my bedroom window to take a peek at the tall, majestic skyscrapers that complete Arcadia, I hear a rattling on my door. Must be Kael, checking I’m up and ready for another day working for him. Of course I’m up, it’s impossible to stay asleep for long when the streets ring with noises day and night.
“One moment,” I call through the door, as If I don’t already know who’s waiting for me on the other side.
I slow my movements as I get dressed into my short, filthy jeans and grey singlet. I want to keep Kael waiting, as I know it will absolutely infuriate him. Smart, ruthless, businessman Kael, who has never shown a hint of kindness and love before in his life, or at least as long as I’ve known him. And it’s been seven years, so that shows something about his personality.
“Hurry up Elena, I don’t have all day to wait for you!” Kael yells at me.
I really want to stay in here all day and make him wait, but I don’t.
***
As I follow Kael through the street, people push me around from all sides. I jump every time someone’s knee or elbow collides with me and I flail amongst the crowd. I feel someone tugging on me from behind and I jump as if I’ve been bitten by a snake. I twirl around to face my assailant. But no, the only person who’s paying any attention to me is a hunched over woman. I’m guessing by her stance that she’s from one of the older generations here in Arcadia. Probably M-2. I can’t recognise her through the dark hood that shrouds her face from the light.
“Here you go dearie,” she says in a gravelly tone and proceeds to place something in my hand, wrapped in tissue paper.
And then, in a cascade of people, the woman is gone. I unwrap the object and find it to be an opal amulet, ringed in rusted silver. It looks as if a pool has opened up inside the metal. As I lift the amulet over my head and place it around my neck, it’s as if I can hear the lady saying shakily, “You must find the lost city of Eldoria, in the land of misty mountains, ancient forests and dangerous creatures, Lunea, and you must rescue it from its troubles or you will end the longevity of the people, and condemn them to death.”
***
I mull over the strange woman’s words throughout the day, but, in the end, just choose to ignore them. My mind was just playing a trick on me, how could I have considered something so preposterous? What an absolute joke. I start to laugh, then instantly stop because people are shooting me looks that say clear as day, what a weirdo. I try to focus on my work, but give up because, again, my mind is racing. As I ponder over the lost city of Eldoria that the old woman, or my brain, described, I feel a sudden and absolute tugging at my chest and in the exact moment I am about to yell out, I am pulled from the counter and into I don’t know where.
The moment I am dropped into reality, I fall to my knees and wretch. As I recover from my motion sickness, I lift my head and am shocked to see that I am not on Arcadia, but at a strange place that shines and glows and blooms. Could this be Lunea? I immediately banish the thought from my mind and check that I am alright. As I scan my body for injuries, I notice that the amulet is pulsing with a fierce blue light. So maybe the words in my head were really true. I resolve to act as if the words were real and set off to find Eldoria.
The lush undergrowth softens my footfalls and the glorious late evening sunlight dapples the leaves above my head. This is paradise, I marvel. Just then, a thunderous noise awakens the birds in the trees. A massive creature with sharp fangs, a malevolent glare and a menacing grin arises from the shadows and charges for me. I slip over on the ground in fright and I would have been dead if it weren’t for the small human with pointed ears that jumps down from a tree and lands hard on the thing’s back. The giant creature bucks and throws the little human off its back and into the undergrowth with a great burst of force. In the same instance it runs back through the trees, away from its attacker and my saviour.
“Who and what are you,” I question, “And what was that?”
“Well that, my friend, is an ogre and I am a handsome and brave elf named Finn who is humbly at your service,” the small human, no, elf, gushes. His eyes immediately fix on the still glowing amulet. “And I see you have the amulet, the precious guardian of the Eldoria union of mythical creatures. How, by all the stars, did you get your hands on that? Do you even care that we’re all dying because you have got that amulet and we don’t?”
His tone has turned abruptly from kind and welcoming to fierce and unfriendly.
“I got given it back in my… my own realm and, and I just want to return it and help you,” I stammer in earnest.
“Then I will escort you to town and you can give it to the Chief of Magic, Diversity and Safety.”
***
I was just told that we are almost at the town of Eldoria, and I think Finn is finally starting to warm up to me. The forest has been less of a paradise than I thought, and it’s been dangerous, but, honestly, I feel a lot safer with Finn by my side. We have encountered trolls, ogres, goblins and other fierce beasts since I first met the little elf. Each battle that I have watched Finn fight has taught me a good deal about this land that appears beautiful but is really deadly. I round the bend and there it is, Eldoria. It’s beautiful, wondrous, exquisite, but I won’t forget about the dangers. I can barely think of enough words to describe it, though.
***
“You, Elena, are in highest treason for withholding the amulet when we have needed it most,” the elf judge announces.
“In my defence, it, the amulet, was taken to my realm and was given to me and I have come to you to return it, it was not my fault that it came into my possession,” I reply. I omit how just a few days ago I didn’t know and didn’t believe this place existed.
As the judge is about to respond, a fire bolt sears through the roof and sets the wooden planks ablaze.
“Dragon! Run!” Someone in the jury yells.
I stand stock still, frozen in shock, as the dragon peers through the gap it has made. As it catches a glimpse of me, it shudders. The amulet shines an eerie blue light into the dragon’s eyes and it looks as if it has fallen into a deep trance. With barely a sound, I murmur, for a reason I do not know, “Be still,” and the dragon is still. I try another phrase, “Stop setting things ablaze,” and the dragon does. And finally, I say, “Go away and never come back here and hurt the townsfolk,” and the dragon turns and flaps away towards the sunrise.
The villagers are all applauding me. Me! I mean, I haven’t really done anything worthy of it, just told a dragon off.
“We thank you so very much for saving us, and for your courage, you will always be honoured here,” intones an old, wizened elf.
“Thank you so much, but this is not necessary,” I say humbly.
“No, it is worth celebrating!”
I don’t argue with this, but just accept all the cheers and acknowledgements.
***
“It is time for you to leave us, dear Elena, but, you should know, you will always be welcome here in Eldoria,” Finn says, and I am happy and glad at the same time that it is him who sees me off.
“Goodbye Finn!” I hug the elf kindly as I step into the portal carved out of stone that, oddly, sparkles. The last thought I have before I vanish is that I’m going back to a life of working for Kael.
I’m back in the apothecary shop, but most of the people have now left. Kael is standing over me, a glare on his face.
“Where have you been, I’ve been looking for you for hours!” He yells in a thunderous voice.
“I need to go file some paperwork, Kael,” I declare with confidence. “I am officially handing in my resignation.”
“Wha-?” He is getting very red in the face now, as though he is about to explode. “Then get out of my shop!”
“Gladly.”
***
I am out and about searching for somewhere to start a business. A small spot would be a good place to set up, I think. I know some people who would rather work at my apothecary than Kael’s. But I’m not worried about finding people to work at my apothecary or buy my remedies. No, I haven’t got a worry in the world.
Siena Centonze-Williams | Mullum Primary School
