The Turquoise Leaf

As I trekked the damp, muddy terrain, I couldn't believe what was found on the ground.

There were piles of golden brown leaves that were scattered all around. But this was not the astonishing sight that made me stop. In between the pile of leaves was a turquoise leaf. It sparkled, like it had glitter dots glued all over it.

I bent down slowly to pick it up. It was a real leaf, alright. The veins that went from the stem to the tip of the leaf was slightly raised. It was a medium sized leaf that fit easily in my hands. I looked at it for a long time before turning it over.

On the back of the leaf was a note. It was written in black charcoal, I guessed. It read:

The one that finds this leaf will have misfortune befall them

Huh? What did that mean? I dropped the leaf back on the ground and walked away. What if it belonged to someone? I didn't want to be seen with someone else's property.

When I got back home, the leaf came into my mind. What did the

note mean? Was there such things as turquoise leaves? As I thought about it, a knock fell on my door. I opened it.

There was an old lady wearing a cloak, similar to the old beggar in Beauty and the Beast. She had the hood over her head. She looked kind of scary to be honest.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to hide the fear in my voice.

"Ester," was her reply.

"Okay...? Who are you though?"

"I'm here to ask about the leaf you found. Can I come in?"

I paused for a second. How did she know about the leaf I found today? Was she watching me?

"Uh, okay. But I'm not sure what you want to know regarding it. I put it down. If it's yours, I'm sorry I picked it up--"

Ester put her arm up, stopping me. We were now inside, in the foyer.

"That's not why I'm here. I don't care that you found it. What I want to know is what did it say?"

"You mean the note on the back?"

A glimmer of hope showed on her face. She smiled wide. "Yes! The note! What did it say?"

I didn’t know the woman’s intentions, so I was weary of telling her anything.

“Uh, something about misfortune. I forgot what it fully said.”

“Did it say ‘The one that finds this leaf will have misfortune befall them’?”

I looked at her in awe. “Yes, that’s what it said.”

“Can you get me the leaf?” she asked.

“What?”

“Could you bring me the leaf? I will pay you handsomely.” She pulled out something from her pocket, which was revealed to be gold coins.

“Wow, look at all those coins!” I marveled at them. Not realizing she was looking at me the whole time, I kept staring at them. Then, I darted my head up. She immediately looked away.

“If you want these coins, bring me the leaf.”

“I’m afraid I don’t remember where it was. It was somewhere surrounded by a bunch of leaves in the forest.”

“Then search for it. I will pay you handsomely.” She smiled at me, her teeth were all rotten and golden.

I didn’t know what to do or say.

“Alright. When do you want me to find it?”

“Now.”

“Now? At night?”

“Yes. That’s the only way you’ll be able to find it easily.”

I scoffed. “Why does it glow in the dark or something?”

Ester glared at me. “It’s not a joking matter. Yes it does glow. But it glows for a reason. When you bring it to me, you’ll know why.”

I gave her a look. “Does it have magical powers? If I’m going all the way in the dead of night to get it, I have a right to know what the leaf possesses.”

The woman shook her head. “If I tell you, you won’t agree to go.”

“I never agreed to go in the first place.”

My words didn’t sit well with her. “Are you going to give me attitude? It seems like money is not an incentive for you to want to bring it to me. I’ll have to add something else. A handsome prince will help guide you in getting the leaf to me.”

“A handsome prince? Who is it? How will he help?”

Ester threw her hands in the air and did a ‘bippidy boppidy boo’ gesture and all of a sudden, a handsome prince appeared in front of us. He was the most good looking man I’d ever laid my eyes on. He had golden brown hair and wore the most expensive princely attire. His glass shoes shone brightly.

For a moment, I was entranced by him. I was too distracted by his looks that I forgot what Ester was asking me to do. I then remembered. Find the turquoise leaf.

“Ready, darling?” the prince asked, smirking at me.

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

Ester handed me the golden coins. “Bring me the leaf. Or else you’ll regret it.”

And like that, she vanished into thin air.

Who was she? Was she a witch? A sorceress? I looked at the prince. Perhaps he’d know.

“Who is Ester? What does she want?”

“She’s the queen of the forest. She wants nothing but to protect it.”

“Why can’t she get the leaf herself if she’s so powerful to make you appear out of nowhere and make herself disappear?”

We exited my house and started walking towards the forest. “Alas. I don’t know myself. I just know that her powers aren’t strong enough to hold objects in her hands.”

“But she was able to hold the gold coins—”

“The gold coins are magic coins. They can disappear at any moment should you chose to go back and not retrieve the leaf for her.”

I looked at him seriously. “Really?”

He nodded.

We walked in silence. I then asked, “What’s your name? Are you really a prince?”

The man laughed. “I am. I live in the castle just above the hill top.” I knew which one he was talking about. I could see it from my own house.

“What’s your name then?”

He stared at me. “Casper.”

“Casper. What a name.”

He smiled. He then looked forward. I frowned. He didn’t ask the question that I thought he’d ask.

“You’re not going to ask what my name is?”

“I already know what it is, Luna.”

I blushed. “How do you know?”

“Ester told me. She tells me everything.”

“How do you know Ester? Is she your mother?”

“No. She’s my mentor. She told me how to use magic and how to interact with the creatures of the forest.”

I scoffed again. “I haven’t seen one single creature of the forest so far. And don’t forget that we have to find the leaf.”

We continued walking till we found a leafy path. Then I came across the pile of leaves that I saw earlier today.

To my disdain, the turquoise leaf was nowhere to be seen!

“I swear the leaf was right in the middle of these golden leaves!” I exclaimed.

“Are you sure?” Casper bent down and looked through each of the leaves.

“I am! It was right here! And now it’s not!”

Casper got up. “I think I know who took it.”

“Who?”

“Kalara, the evil falcon.”

“Who?”

“Kalara is a sorcerer who takes the form of a falcon. He is also looking for this leaf.”

“What’s so special about the leaf?” I asked, cocking my head towards the prince.

“It is the one that causes all doom for the forest. If it is destroyed, Kalara will be so too. And he won’t bother us anymore.”

“So I have to find the leaf and destroy it? Ester never told me about this falcon and that in destroying the leaf, his powers are gone.”

Casper shook his head. “You don’t understand. She can’t tell you. Kalara is watching her. She can’t say too much. She can only tell you to find the leaf.”

“What about the note?” I rummaged through other leaves, nearby.

“What about it?”

“Where it says misfortune will befall us. What does that mean? Is it talking about Kalara?”

“It’s talking about time in general. The leaf is the cause of all doom for the land. So in finding it and not destroying it, you are causing misfortune. Basically, death.”

I gasped. I held on to his arms. He didn’t flinch. I now realized that the leaf was the difference between dying and living. I had to find the leaf and destroy it before Kalara finds it and uses it for himself.

We walked by some trees searching high and low. “How does Kalara look like?” I asked, as I went through some pine cones and acorns on the ground.

“He’s a huge falcon in his animal form. In his human form, he is as grand looking as a king.”

“So where is he now?”

“We don’t know. He hides in his lair in the mountains. But rarely does he come out. I guess he’s out now because he’s searching for the leaf.”

My eyes widened. “Then we have to search even more and find it now!” I started searching feverishly and aggressively, digging through the ground.

Casper watched me and shook his head. “You are something, Luna.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

I couldn’t help be swayed by his charm and words, but now was not the time.

It was now nearing sunrise. And we still hadn’t found the leaf.

“Was there a deadline as to when we were supposed to find it? Because I’m exhausted,” I said, wiping my face that was riddled with sweat.

“No…but the sooner the better.” Casper laid on the ground near me, his hands were over his eyes, as if blocking out the slight light from the sun peaking its head out of the mountains.

“I don’t know what to do. We did all we could. We searched the entire forest all night. We’ll never find it now.”

“I wouldn’t say that…” said a voice. I jumped, whipping my head around.

It was a small beagle dog. It looked so cute. But who just spoke?

The dog came towards me. “I wouldn’t give up,” it said. My mouth opened in shock.

“You talk?” A talking dog was the las thing I expected right now.

“I know what you’re looking for. I’ll help you find it.”

“You will?” I was hopeful. The dog started turning its paws. I looked the prince, who was sleeping.

“Can I wake him up? He’ll want to come.”

“No.” The dog’s voice was certain. He was serious.

“Why not?”

“I wouldn’t trust him if I were you.”

I was so confused. “What?”

“You better come with me. I know where the leaf is. It’s where it was a few hours ago. I’m too short, so I can’t climb.”

“Climb what?”

By the time, the dog had already walked a few feet away from me.

I ran after it. “Wait! Dog!”

After following it for a few seconds, I asked, “What did you have to climb?”

“The wall. The wall to the prince’s castle.”

“What? The leaf is in the prince’s castle?”

“Yes. The prince you were with is not the real prince.”

My heart stopped. “What do you mean? You’re lying!”

“I’m not. Sadly enough, the real prince is locked in the castle. The one who has taken the prince’s form is none other than Kalara.”

I let out a gasp. “No. No way. That’s impossible.” I clutched my hand to my chest.

“It’s true.”

I looked at the dog and its little paws as it walked in front of me. “Then who are you then?”

“I’m the princes’ advisor, Simon. Sadly Kalara turned me into a dog and killed the prince’s subjects.”

I felt bad now. “So where’s the leaf then? Once I have it, you all will be restored to your old selves.”

The dog shook his head. “It’s not that easy.”

I didn’t know what he meant, but I didn’t want to ask too many questions. I just followed him till we got to the castle. In front of it was a giant cement wall. Birds flew over it, giving me a sense of how high this wall was.

“Now, climb the wall and grab the leaf. It’s hanging on the oak tree right on the side of the castle. Once you get it, yell Dog.”

I nodded. I started climbing the wall until I reached the top. I toppled over. I saw the leaf, THE LEAF, on the branch of the oak tree. I climbed till I grabbed it.

“Dog! I yelled. I climbed the wall about to reach the other side, when I saw Simon, the dog, taken by someone! A falcon! It grabbed Simon in its talons and flew high in the air.

Simon yelled. “Destroy it!”

I looked at the leaf in my hand. How would I destroy it? The only way was to crumble it up.

And that’s what I did. When I did so, Simon immediately fell to the ground. Kalara, the falcon was no longer a falcon anymore, he was now a hideous beast. He roared in defeat.

I ran to where Kalara had dropped Simon. Only that Simon was no longer a dog anymore. He was now a handsome man.

I heard screaming and yelling. Guards climbed over the wall and grabbed me.

“No! Don’t.” Simon said. He took a strand of hair and wrapped it around my ears. I was stiff, not knowing what to think.

“What happened?” asked a voice.

When I looked up, I saw that it was the prince, Prince Casper. The real prince. His spell had been broken too. Whatever prince I had left behind on the forest floor was none other than Kalara. Simon had been right.

“This woman saved us all,” said Simon.

The prince looked at me. “Is that right?”

I didn’t know how to act now that it was the real prince in front of me.

“Yes, I guess.”

“You are our hero.” He pointed around. Surrounding us were no longer trees and birds. Everyone had been turned back into humans.

The maidens grabbed my arms and giggled. “You saved us!” they exclaimed. I smiled at them.

Simon brought me and the prince together. “For your work, you will marry the prince and live happily ever after.”

Prince Casper hugged me. Music and loud cheers soon followed. We had a ceremony to mark the marriage.

That evening, I looked into my coat where I had kept the golden coins. Prince Casper sat on the bed, watching me.

“What about Ester? Who was she?” I sked him, pulling them out.

“She was an old queen who, under, Kalara’s spell turned into an old woman.

“What about Kalara? What will happen to him now that the leaf is destroyed?”

“He will remain an ogre in the woods for the rest of his life.”

I smiled. “Happy ending after all, then?”

“Yes, happy ending after all.” We kissed, sealing the night on a good note.

THE END