#2: Journey Beyond the Trees (Tales of Sasha) Read online

  “It’s a magical map,” said Caleb.

  “A map of where?” Sasha had never

  seen this kind of color and beauty

  around here.

  “Someplace far away,” said Caleb.

  “Sapphire gave it to me. She said to

  first go through the big trees, and then

  follow the map to where she lives.”

  “Does the map work?” asked Sasha.

  “I’ve never found out,” said Caleb.

  “You didn’t go look for Sapphire?”

  Sasha was surprised.

  “I tried once.” Caleb snorted angrily.

  “I couldn’t get through the big trees,

  because they were pushed together to

  make a wall. They wouldn’t let me pass.”

  Sasha’s stomach twisted. This was

  terrible news. “How can I find Sapphire

  if I can’t walk through the trees?” she

  asked.

  “You’re not from our valley. You

  weren’t born here. Maybe the trees will

  let you through,” said Caleb.

  Sasha felt hopeful. “Will you come

  with me?”

  “The trees wouldn’t let me in,” Caleb

  reminded her.

  “Maybe they’ll let us go

  together. Please?” begged

  Sasha.

  Caleb didn’t answer right

  away. Instead, he lifted

  the tiny bell and rang it.

  Whoosh! The flute stopped

  playing. The floating

  pictures disappeared. The

  golden fabric shrunk and

  wrapped itself back around

  the stem of the blue feather.

  Caleb hooked

  the chain to keep

  the magical map in

  place. He tucked

  the feather behind

  Sasha’s left ear.

  “We’re going to

  need this map later,”

  he said.

  “We?” asked Sasha. Her heart beat

  quickly.

  “Yes.” Caleb shook his head, as if he

  couldn’t believe he was doing this. “I’ll

  meet you tomorrow at sunrise.”

  “We’re going to find Sapphire!” Sasha

  did a little dance. “Thank you!”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” warned Caleb.

  “First, we’ll need to make it through the

  trees.”

  CHAPTER

  5

  Through the Trees

  Sasha nuzzled her mom early the next

  morning as the first rays of sun broke

  through the darkness. Her sisters slept

  nearby. Her dad was already out looking

  for grazing pastures for the herd.

  “Come home soon,” whispered her

  mother. She slicked back Sasha’s forelock

  with her tongue. “I’ll be waiting for you.

  We all will. We love you.”

  “I love you too.” Sasha nuzzled closer.

  For a moment, she thought about staying

  under the cottonwood tree with her

  family. Then she felt Sapphire’s feather

  tucked behind her ear. This was her big

  chance to find other flying horses. I have

  to be brave, she thought.

  Sasha set off across the field. The

  grass was damp with morning dew. No

  horses were grazing this early.

  Sasha spotted Caleb up ahead. Then

  she stopped. Who was standing next to

  Caleb? She trotted closer.

  “Wyatt!” she cried. “What are you

  doing here?”

  “Poppy told me what you’re up to.

  My dad said I could go too,” said Wyatt.

  “Best friends always have adventures

  together.”

  “That’s true!” Sasha was glad Wyatt

  was coming with them.

  “Are you ready?” Caleb asked them.

  “Yeah!” cried Wyatt.

  Sasha nodded. She didn’t want to tell

  them that she felt a little scared.

  Caleb walked forward. Wyatt walked

  behind him. Sasha walked behind Wyatt.

  Leaves and twigs crunched under their

  hooves. Sunlight peeked through the

  branches overhead. Birds sang in the

  treetops. Sasha hummed along. They

  walked for a long time.

  Suddenly, it became quiet. The birds

  had stopped singing. The sky turned

  dark.

  Sasha looked up and gasped. The

  branches stretched toward one another,

  blocking the sun. “G-g-guys, the trees

  are moving!” cried Sasha.

  The tree trunks lined up side by side.

  They made a wall.

  Caleb tried to walk

  forward, but he was

  pushed back. He tried

  again and again. “I can’t

  do it.” Sweat dripped into

  his eyes. “You need to

  try, Sasha.”

  Sasha shivered. She

  took a tiny step forward.

  “Keep going!” called

  Wyatt.

  Sasha took another step. Then

  another and another. The sun began

  to shine again. The birds began to sing

  again.

  She was doing it! The trees were

  parting. They were letting her through!

  “I see the way. Grab on to my tail,”

  she called to Wyatt and Caleb. “I can

  lead us.”

  “I can’t go,” said Caleb.

  Sasha whirled around. “What’s

  wrong?”

  “My knees hurt. I’m tired,” he

  said. “I will only slow you down.”

  “No way! I need you,” cried

  Sasha.

  Caleb shook his head. “Not

  anymore. The trees opened for

  you. You have Wyatt. You have

  the map. I’ll rest here. You will

  be fine.”

  Sasha’s heart pounded. She’d never

  gone anywhere on her own. She didn’t

  even understand how the map worked.

  Wyatt nudged her forward. “I’d bet

  Sapphire is right on the other side of

  the trees.”

  Sasha felt her white patch itch. It only

  did that when her body wanted to go.

  Did that mean the flying horses really

  were near?

  She made up her mind. “We can do

  this,” she told Wyatt. Wyatt held on to

  her tail with his teeth. Together, they

  walked toward the trees.

  CHAPTER

  6

  Help Is on

  the Way

  The trees moved to let them pass.

  “We’re doing it!” Sasha called to

  Wyatt.

  Wyatt didn’t answer. He didn’t dare

  let go of her tail.

  Sasha walked faster. She wanted

  to get them out of the creepy woods

  quickly. Finally, they stepped into a field

  of wildflowers.

  “It’s beautiful!” cried Sasha. The

  flowers pulsed with neon colors that

  were almost too bright for her eyes.

  “It’s delicious!” cried Wyatt. He began

  to munch. Wyatt loved to eat flowers.

  Sasha danced in and out of the electric

  flowers. She bent down to smell them.

  “Wyatt!” she cried. “The red flowers

  smell like cherry. The yellow flowers

  smell like lemon. The pink flowers smell

  like cotton candy.”


  “They taste like how they smell,”

  called Wyatt. His mouth was full of

  flowers.

  “We need to find Sapphire,” Sasha

  said to remind Wyatt. She pulled the

  blue feather from behind her ear. She

  opened the chain, and the tiny bell rang.

  The golden map magically unwrapped

  in the air.

  “What do you see?” called Wyatt.

  Sasha puzzled over the picture

  shimmering in front of her. “It’s blue and

  moving. I see waves. It must be water.”

  “It’s a lake.” Wyatt came over. “There’s

  an arrow on the lake. That arrow means

  we need to go across the lake.”

  Sasha turned in a circle. “What lake?”

  “Over there.” Wyatt pointed to a

  lake at the end of the flower field. “Race

  you. On your mark, get set—”

  “Go!” Sasha took off.

  Wyatt was fast, but she was faster.

  They galloped to the shore of a big lake.

  Wyatt dipped his hoof into the warm

  water. “This lake is huge. We can’t swim

  across.”

  “I could try to fly across,” said Sasha.

  “What about me?” asked Wyatt.

  “Could I hold on to your tail and fly

  too?”

  “I don’t think so.” Trying to fly with

  Wyatt sounded hard. She’d surely crash.

  “I won’t leave you behind,” she promised.

  Then she sighed. “We’re stuck.”

  “We need help,” agreed Wyatt.

  “Help is on the way!”

  “Who said that?” asked Wyatt.

  Sasha pointed. Something was moving

  across the lake toward them.

  Wyatt squinted. “It looks like a huge

  raft.”

  “It’s a raft made out of tree trunks,”

  said Sasha.

  They watched the raft move closer

  and closer. Three beavers stood on the

  raft. They paddled it up to the shore.

  “Ahoy!” called a beaver wearing a

  navy captain’s hat. “Are you here for

  the noon crossing?”

  “Is it noon?” asked Sasha. She had

  never been good at telling time.

  “The sun is high. It’s time to sail,”

  said the captain. “Be quick. Hop on.”

  Sasha turned to Wyatt. “Should we?”

  “Let’s do it!” Wyatt stepped onto the

  raft.

  “Why not?” Sasha joined him.

  “Onward!” called the captain. All

  three beavers began to paddle, and the

  raft glided across the lake.

  CHAPTER

  7

  Eyes on Me

  “Did Sapphire send you?” Sasha asked

  the captain hopefully.

  “No one sent me,” he said. “The ferry

  is on a schedule. It goes every hour.

  Sometimes every two hours. Sometimes

  I take a nap. Then it doesn’t go.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a good

  schedule,” said Sasha.

  “I’m glad it wasn’t nap time,” Wyatt

  pointed out. “Sasha wanted to fly, but

  I can’t.”

  The captain poked Sasha with his

  paddle. “You’re a winged one!”

  “You’ve seen them!” cried Sasha. That

  was a good sign. “Where are they?”

  “I’m a water-and-wood guy. I don’t

  know what happens in the sky.” He

  began to paddle again.

  “Row, row, row, your boat,” he sang.

  The other beavers joined in. Their oars

  pushed through the water as they sang.

  When the song ended, the captain

  steered the raft to a dock. He hurried

  Sasha and Wyatt off. A family of foxes

  got on.

  “Wait!” called Sasha. The captain

  hadn’t told her where to go.

  “Ticktock!” called the captain. “No

  time to chat.” The three beavers paddled

  the raft away.

  “I hope the flying horses are close

  by,” Sasha told Wyatt. “Let’s check the

  map.”

  She unhooked the chain. The bell

  rang, and the magic map opened. Sasha

  reared back. Hundreds of eyes swirled

  before them! Blinking. Winking. Staring.

  Eyes were everywhere.

  Wyatt squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t

  like all those eyes looking at me. Maybe

  we should try to go back.”

  Sasha was surprised. Wyatt had never

  acted scared before.

  “I can’t give up now,” she said. The

  thought of the flying horses nearby

  had made her feel braver. She rang the

  tiny bell and the map rolled up again.

  The eyes went away. “We need to find

  eyes,” she told Wyatt. “I need your eyes

  to look for eyes.”

  Wyatt opened one eye and then

  the other. Then he followed Sasha. She

  walked in front.

  They passed three rabbits playing

  hopscotch.

  They passed two flamingos on a

  tightrope.

  They passed a turtle flying a kite.

  “I knew beyond the trees would be

  special,” said Sasha.

  “This place is nothing like home,” said

  Wyatt.

  Suddenly, she stopped short. Wyatt

  tumbled into her.

  “All eyes on me!” cried a bright blue

  peacock. He strutted before them. “Do

  you see what I see?”

  “What does

  he see?” Sasha

  whispered to

  Wyatt.

  “You need

  more eyes to see

  what I see,” said

  the large bird.

  “More eyes?” Wyatt didn’t

  like the sound of that.

  The peacock lifted his tail and opened

  a huge fan of emerald-green feathers.

  Each feather had an eye-shaped spot in

  the middle.

  “He has eyes on his feathers!” cried

  Wyatt. “The map wanted us to find this

  peacock.”

  “Do you know where Sapphire is?”

  asked Sasha.

  “Look and see.” The peacock grinned.

  “A bird’s-eye view is always best.”

  “Everything is a riddle here,” Wyatt

  said with a grumble.

  Sasha looked closely. Every feather

  looked the same—except one. One

  feather was bright blue, not green. It

  didn’t have an eye-shaped spot. It looked

  exactly like the feather Sapphire had

  given Caleb.

  “That feather isn’t yours,” she told

  the peacock. “That feather comes from

  the wing of a flying horse!”

  CHAPTER

  8

  Behind the

  Gold Door

  Sasha plucked the blue feather from the

  peacock’s tail. It had a square stem.

  “Follow the feather to the winged

  horses,” said the peacock. Then he

  strutted away.

  “There isn’t a map on this feather,”

  said Wyatt. “How do we follow it?”

  Suddenly, a strong breeze blew the

  feather from Sasha’s mouth. The feather

  twirled in crazy circles. Then it zoomed

  forward.
/>   For a moment, Sasha watched it.

  Then she remembered the peacock’s

  words. “Follow the feather!” cried Sasha.

  She raced after it.

  “Wait for me!” yelled Wyatt.

  The feather flew to a beach. They

  galloped down the hot sand after it.

  Finally, the feather fluttered to the

  ground. Sasha and Wyatt stopped too.

  They stood in a clearing surrounded

  by rock walls. The sand glittered with

  rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and other

  jewels.

  “Wow! My sisters would love it here,”

  said Sasha.

  Wyatt pointed to a shiny gold door

  in one of the rock walls. “What’s that?”

  Sasha walked over to it and knocked.

  No answer.

  She knocked harder.

  Still no answer.

  She pushed against it. “It’s locked,”

  she told Wyatt.

  Wyatt looked at the sky. “The sun is

  going down. We should go home.”

  “Go home? Now?” Sasha couldn’t

  believe it. “We’ve made it through the

  big trees, crossed a huge lake, and now

  we’re here. Maybe Sapphire and the

  flying horses are on the other side of

  this door. I can’t go home now!”

  She unhooked the magic map and

  watched it unroll. A picture of an old-

  fashioned key floated before them. “We

  need to find a key,” said Sasha. “A key

  will open the door.”

  Wyatt paced back and forth. “It’ll be

  dark soon. Do you think the ferry is still

  running? Do you think Caleb is still by

  the trees?”