Hidden Vale

Hidden Vale was a pretty city. It was built on a hill in the bend of a river. There was a wall around the city with only two gates to enter. These gates were closed at night. The buildings were all white with columns and towers. When the light of the sun hit the side of the buildings, they sparkled and glittered. There was a meadow surrounding the city. The meadow had every color of flower that you could imagine. The sky over the flowers was always full of butterflies. It was a sight to behold with all the colors and aerial displays of the butterflies. At the edge of the meadow was a thick forest. There were places in the forest where the trees were so thick that sun light didn't reach the ground. It was to one of these dark places that Chantelle was headed on this beautiful day. She loved walking in the forest and she loved mushrooms. Since it was the time of year when mushrooms grew, this day was perfect to her. The sun's rays came through the tree tops causing light and dark patterns to dance on the stately trunks and the forest floor ahead of her. There was a rock wall not too far away that had a small cave in it. The cave is where the best mushrooms grew. Chantelle was on her way to that cave. She was almost skipping because she was so happy to be away from the orphanage and outside the city wall. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail. The curls in her pony tail bounced as she walked. The orphanage was not a bad place to live if you didn't have a family and Ms Julian was really nice and never treated anyone bad. It was just that some of the other kids liked to pick on her. There were five kids in the orphanage. Of the five, she was the only one that they knew nothing about. Ten years ago she had been found wondering around the falls up river from Hidden Vale. She had been alone, barefoot, and in her night clothes. It was Ms Julian that named her and it was she that cared for her. Ms Julian considered her a daughter.

The cave was just ahead of Chantelle. She could almost taste the mushrooms. Ms Julian would fix them for supper tonight. Just inside the cave opening, Chantelle stopped to wait for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the cave. A noise coming from the back of the cave caught her attention. Then she heard a voice. "Hey little girl, do you know where I am?"

Chantelle's eyes were adjusting to the dim light. She could see a man standing in the center of the cave. He was slowly walking toward her. The clothes he wore were those of a warrior. There was a sword hanging at his side. She was ready to run if he came any closer, but he stopped just short of her. "I'm not an expert in these matters, Sir. But off-hand, I would say that you are standing in the middle of this very cave talking to me."

The expression on his face changed. Chantelle could tell he was thinking about what she said. Then he started laughing. "Let me reword that for you, please. I have been traveling in this forest since yesterday. I must be going in circles because I can't seem to find my way out of it. If you could tell me the quickest way out of these trees, I would appreciate it."

Now it was her turn to laugh, but hers was just a little laugh. She didn't want to appear rude to the gentleman that stood before her. "You're lost!" An idea entered her mind and it was a good idea. "Tell you what. If you help me pick mushrooms until my tote bag is full, I will take you to Hidden Vale. It isn't very far." She stood here looking at him with an innocent expression of her face.

"Why can't you take me ther