Shadows

A Nexus Vale Story, Volume 1

(A Children’s Short Story)

Shadow, A Nexus Vale Story is a work of fiction. Names, characters,

places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales,
or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2010 by N.J. Jones

All rights reserved.

 Shadows

A Nexus Vale Short Story, Volume 1

Somewhere Safe
1
There is a place inside your mind
And if you go within it, you’ll find
A light so bright a sound so clear
Its not too far it’s very near.

Tonight we’ll fly into that

Around your heart - it’s the color of grace
It’s filled with love, truth and trust
So bring your spirit it is a must.

Now close your eyes and you will see

This world without calamity
What I think is who I Am
What I choose is at my command

A place for you a place for me

A place for Matt and Sydney.
Prologue
The Maynard school bus pulled over letting Sydney and her brother Brett spill out
its doors onto the country road that led to their farm. They were best friends even
though they were brother and sister. That day, Brett decided he was going to
have some fun teasing his sister. As they got off the bus he grabbed his sister’s
backpack and bolted down the road toward the barn.

Sydney gave chase, the sunlight glinting off her gold hair on the beautiful spring
day as she tried to catch up to her older brother. She could hear his laughter as
his longer legs gave him the advantage and he increased the distance between
the two of them. Springtime was great on the farm with the light rains that came
at this time of year making everything seem fresh and new. The young colts were
chasing one another in the field as Brett dashed into the barn and started up the
ladder to the hayloft.

“Brett! Give it back you jerk!” Sydney called out breathlessly trying to sound
angry in spite of the fact she was laughing as she rounded the corner of the open
barn door. “Come get it - if you can!” he shot back with a grin on his face as he
reached the top of the ladder. At that same moment, the backpack swung under
the last rung, getting entangled and pulling him backwards. He fought with it
momentarily, teetering dangerously with one foot on the loft and one on the
ladder before losing his balance and falling straight down thirty feet to the barn
floor below.

The last thing she remembered for several hours was the sound of her voice
screaming her brother’s name.
 Page 1

Chapter One
Sydney would never forget the day she and her parents passed the big green
‘Welcome to Nexus Vale!’ sign as they drove to their new home. In the aftermath
of her brother’s death, her parents decided that they needed to start over. So
they sold the farm that that had been in their family for many generations and
moved to the town of Nexus Vale.

Nexus Vale was a mid-sized town with 35,482 people in it (according to the
Welcome sign they has passed). As they drove through the town center, Sydney
had hunkered down even further into her seat and her scowl had deepened.
From the looks of things, Nexus Vale was the very definition of the word ‘boring’.
The tallest building they passed was 3 stories high and many of the businesses
looked older than their farmhouse was – and that was over two hundred years
old. At least Maynard had a shopping mall and some new fast-food outlets. This
place looked like it had popped out of one of her history books, a place that the
outside world had forgotten.

She heard her mother’s footsteps coming down the hallway and sighed. “How’s it
going kiddo?” her Mother said cheerfully as she stopped in the doorway of
Sydney’s room. “I hate it here” Sydney replied with a flat voice.

“Syd, you haven’t even given it a chance yet” her Mom responded with that
patient tone of voice parents use when they’re trying not to take the bait and get
into an argument with their child. “Chance? Mom, I don’t know anyone and
there’s nothing to do here…what a stupid place.”

Her Mom smiled sympathetically at her twelve-year old daughter and said, “I’m
sorry Sydney. I know it’s hard, but you’ll make new friends at school when it
starts next week. You have to give it some time…this will feel like home soon.”

Shaking her head Sydney heard herself saying the same thing she had been for
the last two weeks since they had moved here “Why did we have to move?”
There was a brief moment of silence before her Mom answered, responding
exactly the same way she had so many times before to her daughter’s question.
“Like Dad and I have explained, it was time for us to leave honey…sometimes,
making a change is the best thing to do. When you’re older, you’ll understand.”

“You just don’t want to remember Brett” Sydney muttered loud enough for her
mother to hear. “Sydney!” her mother exclaimed with a hurt look on her face as
she sat down on the bed next to her. “You know that’s not true. It was too hard to
stay at the farm…your Dad and I wanted you to have…more than what we could
give you there. We want more time to be a family. We don’t want to worry about
the horses or looking after the rest of the farm. We want more time to be with you
Sydney. You’re growing up so fast and we don’t want to miss any of it.”
 Page 2

“This is so unfair. How about what I want? Brett’s gone, now my friends are gone
too – you’ve taken everything from me – everything!” she wailed.

“Sydney...” Mom said trying to pull Sydney into a hug.

“NO!” she shouted pushing her Mom away. “You don’t care about anyone except
yourselves – just leave me alone.”

Her Dad appeared with a concerned look on his face saying “What’s going on in
here?”

“I hate you too!” Sydney yelled rushing past him.

“What? Where are you going?” he called after her. His wife moved next to him
putting a lightly restraining hand on his arm. “It’s alright honey, let her go...she
needs to be alone for a little while to cool off.”

Sydney walked without thought of her destination — she didn’t care where she
ended up — as long as could escape her parents for a while. She was
devastated by the loss of Brett. Life would never be the same, he was gone and
now she was an only child. Sydney could understand that things would be
different – but she didn’t expect that her parents would change too. They seemed
to treat her differently now…they even talked to her in a different way…it was like
everything they used to have together died the day Brett died. Sydney turned the
corner and kept on walking as her turbulent thoughts raced through her head. It
felt like her parents couldn’t understand her or even each other sometimes; it
was as if they were all speaking three different languages.
 Page 3

Chapter Two
A block off Main Street, right behind Casey’s Drug Store was Gibson Park,
named after the founder of Nexus Vale, Art Gibson. As Sydney crossed the
street toward the park, the turmoil in her head subsided long enough for her to
notice a group of boys by the park’s entrance.

Four boys surrounded one slightly smaller boy.

A boy named Billy, the largest and most troubled of the bunch, led the group. He
would strike out at anyone who was either different or smaller than him —
especially if that person was alone — and he wasn’t.

“Hey Matt — or should I say ‘Tonto’?” Billy sneered, “I hear you and your family
got kicked off the reservation ‘cause your Dad actually works for a living.” Billy’s
buddies burst into supportive laughter at his taunts.

“Yeah Billy? Well I hear your families going on a trip around the world with all the
Airmiles your Dad got with his club beer points!” Matt shot back with his
shoulders squared and his eyes blazing with fury.

The boys couldn’t help but snicker at Matt’s quick comeback, prompting Billy to
declare “You’re dead.” The boys cheered him on with exclamations of ‘pound
him’ but were abruptly interrupted by a piercing scream to their left. Turning, they
saw a girl they didn’t know that looked to be about the same age as they were,
running at top speed toward them. Adults walking by had turned toward the
sound of the yell and a few had stopped to see what was happening.

“Leave him alone! Stop it!” Sydney yelled at the group. Both Brett and her had
always hated bullies and she had seen her brother stand up to more than one in
his short life.

“Get lost! This is none of your business” Billy growled, but with a little less
menace in his voice now that he was faced with a girl and he could see a few
grown-ups taking an interest in the scene.

“I’m making it my business and I’ll make it the whole towns business if you don’t
stop it right now!” Sydney stated, crossing her arms in front of her and placing
herself between Billy and Matt.

Billy took a step back nervously and then shrugged. “Whatever. I made my point.
Hey Matt, it says a lot when you need a girl to fight your battles for you” he called
out as he and his posse retreated.
 Page 4

“I don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me!” Matt retorted looking at Sydney
with a mixture of frustration and anger.

“Sure. Lets get out of here and leave the two lovebirds alone” Billy snickered to
his buddies as they lopped out of sight laughing.

“Are you OK?” Sydney asked turning to him with concern. Now that she had the
chance, she looked him over with interest. He was obviously a little younger than
her, but not by much, maybe a year or two at most. He had jet-black hair and
deep brown eyes and a firm square jaw.

“I’m fine,” he snapped back, giving her the once-over as she was checking him
out.

“You’re welcome. Look, I was just trying to help” she responded with her hands
on her hips.

“I don’t need your help” he stated firmly, looking into her brilliant blue eyes.

“Right. I guess you like getting your face smashed in. Or is it that you just don’t
like the idea of a girl helping you?” she asked, more than a little irritated at his
complete lack of gratitude.

Matt sighed and managed a weak “Thanks. I just want to be alone, OK?” in
response.

Sydney sighed too. “My name is Sydney by the way and I just moved to this
stupid place. You can call me Syd if you want to” she said wearily.

“My name’s Matt, and you’re right this place is stupid.”

“So, what happened? Why were those guys picking on you? What did you do?”
she asked curiously.

“They just don’t like me OK? I’m an Indian.”

“So what...that’s cool!” she responded immediately.

Matt rolled his eyes saying “Sure it is. I bet you have a lot of experience with
prejudice, with your blond hair, baby-blues and lily-white skin and all.”

“What are you talking about?” Sydney asked with exasperation.

“Never mind. You wouldn’t understand” Matt waved his hand dismissively.
 Page 5

Sydney stared at Matt for a moment while his words sunk in. “You’ve got to be
kidding…that’s just…stupid” she said with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

“Yeah?” Matt responded with sarcasm in his voice. “Tell that to guys like Billy.
They pick on anyone who’s different. I wish I was a real Indian Warrior — I’d kick
his butt.”

“That’s great Matt. It just sounds like more stupid fighting to me. For some reason
I thought you were smarter than that. Now you’re acting like that other jerk.”

“What do you know?” Matt fired back. “You have to take care of yourself around
here; nobody else is going to do it for you.”

“Really?” she said in a matter-of-fact voice. “I thought I just did. See ‘ya tough-
guy.”

Sydney walked back to her house slowly, not much happier with what she had
found down her street than what she had left at home. But what could she do?
She felt totally alone and she couldn’t help but look up at the sky thinking ‘God, I
gotta tell you…I don’t get it...what’s the point of this set-up? No matter what we
do — it doesn’t matter. I loved my brother and he died...I tried to help someone
and he doesn’t care...nothing I do makes any difference.’

As she opened the front door to her home, Sydney called out “Mom?”

She found her Mom on the living room couch, smiling. “That wasn’t nearly as
long as I thought it would be. How was your walk sweetheart?” she asked with an
understanding voice.

“It was fine” she said, flopping down on the couch next to her Mom. “I’m sorry. I
just feel like everything is gone. Brett, our house, my friends…” she said, her
voice trailing off.

“I’m sorry you feel that way honey, but I promise you everything will get better.”

“How do you know?” Sydney asked, resting her head on her Mom’s shoulder.

“Experience honey. Things always have a way of working out for the best
Sydney. You have to have faith that God knows how to make that happen.”

“God? If God knows best how could he let Brett die? How can he let people hurt
each other Mom?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

“Sydney, Brett died because of an accident. Sometimes things happen and we

don’t know why they do and we have to trust that there really is a good reason.
And I’m sure God doesn’t like it when we hurt each other, but we each have to do
the best that we can in every situation.”
 Page 6

Chapter Three
Matt sat alone in his room, looking at the gift he had received from his
Grandfather years ago on his fifth Birthday, a seven-inch high figure of a Native
Warrior. Matt had named him ‘Chief’ and while the name wasn’t very original, it
had suited the then five-year old boy. His Grandfather had told Matt that Chief
had been blessed by the Shaman (the Tribe’s Medicine Man) and would help
guide Matt in the old ways when he was away from his people. Matt hadn’t
understood what the ‘old ways’ meant, but as it turned out, Chief had become an
unexpectedly important part of his life. Chief was a very good listener. Matt had
also quickly decided that Chief was strong and brave and he always knew what
to do, because Warriors always knew what to do. Of course Matt knew he wasn’t
really alive, but he had often fantasized about being a Warrior like Chief.

Now, more than ever, Matt didn’t feel like he could talk to anyone. His Mom and
Dad had recently divorced and Matt’s Dad had moved into a place of his own. It
wasn’t far away, but he always seemed to be busy with work and didn’t visit Matt
and Laurel (his little sister) much. Matt didn’t want to upset his Mom with his
problems because she seemed to be so tired from going to work and looking
after them and the house by her self. Besides, if Matt was going to be a Warrior
like Chief, he knew he had to be strong and not show any weakness. Only Chief
heard Matt’s secrets.

Matt stretched out on his bed, looking at Chief who stood facing him on his
dresser. “I wish I was like you Chief, then everyone would be afraid of me. They
would respect me. It was so embarrassing; some girl had to basically save me
from that jerk Billy and his friends. Why can’t I be a Warrior like you? I would
pound on jerks like Billy, then a girl like Sydney would see how brave I was. I
wish you could show me how I can change things — if anything I do even makes
a difference anyway...” Matt picked up his foam basketball and started shooting
hoops at the miniature basketball net attached to the back of his bedroom door.

Matt wasn’t the only one who didn’t feel like he could talk to anyone. Across town
in her bedroom, sat Sydney with a glum look on her face. She wanted to talk to
her parents, but the harder she tried, the more frustrated she became. She
simply couldn’t find the right words to describe what she was going through or
how alone she felt. Much like Matt, Sydney also had someone she could talk to,
a doll she had named Angel. Her Grandma had given Angel to her when Brett
had died saying comforting things and proclaiming that nothing bad would
happen to Sydney because Angel would watch over her. Sydney had always
acted like she was just being polite to her Grandma by keeping the doll close to
her, but the truth was that she rather liked the idea that she might be getting
some extra help and protection in what had turned out to be a very unpredictable
world. Angel was beautiful, with gold hair and blue eyes much like Sydney’s,
wearing a long white lace dress complete with the prerequisite golden wings. To
Sydney she represented all of the best things — beauty, kindness, wisdom and
friendship.
 Page 7

As Sydney moved restlessly around her bedroom, she used Angel as a sounding
board. “Angel, why did God make things work the way they do? It’s pointless, it
doesn’t matter what I do, every one else gets to decide what’s going to happen to
me...Mom, Dad...even that boy Matt. I did something nice for him and he didn’t
even care. Mom always talks about how God made us in his image – that we’re
his children — well, what kind of father leaves his kids in a bad place and all
alone?” She looked at Angel and as per usual, if Angel had the answers to her
questions, she wasn’t sharing.

As evening deepened, both Matt and Sydney ate their supper, watched some TV
and went to bed…each in their own homes, each in their own beds.

Matt was soon awakened by the sensation of a warm breeze drifting softly across
his face. He opened his eyes to find himself inside the most incredible Treehouse
he could imagine with an aroma of cedar that was strong and comforting. The
structure was fashioned out of thick Cedar timbers from the floor to the ceiling
and sat atop of a huge tree that had to be hundreds of years old.

He walked out the door and found himself on a large, solidly built balcony with a
sturdy railing that surrounded the entire Treehouse. He looked down over the
tops of a few dozen trees and saw a small clearing filled with wild flowers. This
was a place of enchanting beauty, vibrant colors and pure sweet smells. Off in
the distance, he could see a meadow that dropped down to meet up with a
steadily flowing river. The sun was low in the valley and backlit the river, causing
it to sparkle like a long jeweled necklace through the forest. As he walked along
the balcony, he marveled at the different vantage points it gave him to look over
the new and unexplored territory below. He could see a long waterfall tumble
down a cliff face toward the end of the valley, its mist rising to reach the amber
light of the sun.

As Matt worked his way around the Treehouse, he suddenly became aware of a
strange figure standing motionless on the balcony just ahead of him. As his eyes
adjusted to the form, he began to feel like he somehow knew this man. He was
tall and lean but very muscular. His long, thick dark hair was swirled up across
his face and the leaves rustled with every gasp of the warm breeze that was
blowing.

Matt, strangely without fear, stepped closer to him, eager to see the face of this
peaceful figure. As he reached the vine covered railing, the breeze gasped once
more, lifting the long dark hair back and over the man’s bare shoulders.
 Page 8

“Chief?!” Matt exclaimed feeling like he had just entered the Twilight Zone.

The Warrior turned toward him and speaking in a powerful, but quiet voice said
“Yes Matt.”

“It is you. But how can you be…here? You’re not real.”

Chief’s lips turned up in a soft smile as he replied, “This is your sacred place
Matt. Here, you create what is real.” Nodding with approval Chief added, “I like
it.”

“You mean this Treehouse?” Matt asked, still trying to get a handle on what was
happening.

“Yes.” Chief responded quietly. “This is your sacred place — your creation.”

“It’s mine? I made this? I don’t remember making this…” Matt responded
uncertainly.

“There are many things you do not remember yet, but if you keep trying to, over
time you will” Chief said turning back to gaze at the forest.

“So you’re saying I made this whole Treehouse and I can’t remember doing it?”

Chief shook his head almost imperceptibly saying, “It is not that you cannot
remember. It is simply that right now, you choose not to remember. There is very
little that someone as powerful as you cannot do. So in answer to your question,
yes, you created this Treehouse and more. You have also created this place that
surrounds us — as far as you can see…and you have brought me here as well.”

“This is too weird.” Matt said sitting down on the balcony next to Chief letting his
legs dangle off the end into the open air. As Chief sat down next to him he
continued, “This has to be a dream; that’s it — I’m dreaming...but it feels so real.
I need to think about this for a minute; maybe I should try to wake up.”
 Page 9

Chapter Four
Sydney could only smile as her entire body filled with tingling. These wonderful
sensations seem to start from the center of her chest and then flow evenly
though the rest of her body. It made her feel so alive that she literally couldn’t
help but smile.

Now she noticed a sparkle of light that seemed to somehow match the tingles in
her body, growing all around her. This light slowly changed from fragmented
sparkles to a large, glowing pulse of warm, soft light. Then Sydney saw her, the
most beautiful face she could envision — smiling a soft loving smile — right at
her.

“Am I in heaven? Are you an Angel?” she heard herself asking.

“Well, you call me Angel” the woman replied breaking out into a dazzling smile.

Sydney blinked and after a moment her eyes opened wide with comprehension
as she gasped “You mean my doll?”

Continuing to smile, Angel nodded simply saying, “Yes. And in response to your
first question, no, this isn’t heaven. You made this place for you and I to visit.”

“I did? But…how?”

“Sydney, look around you. Everywhere. Look closely — what do you see?”

Sydney did as she was instructed. Suddenly, she became aware that they were
both on a large boat that was drifting down a beautiful emerald green river. No
one seemed to be steering the boat, it was as if the boat knew where to go on it’s
own. Angel and Sydney were seated at the stern of the boat, perched on a pile of
large soft pillows. A high ornate roof supported by six columns shaded almost the
entire length of the boat. The underside of the roof was filled with paintings of
children playing and dancing with Angels.

At the bow of the boat was a long curved bench covered with overstuffed
cushions. Light shear tapestries of gold and white hung from carved wooden
archways along the sides of the boat. With every breath of the wind, the white
and gold tapestries swirled their colors in and out of the boat.

All the while, trees, meadows, hills and the occasional waterfall drifted by along
the bank of this magical place and the colors, sounds and smells seemed to
match how alive she felt inside.

”It’s perfect!” she exclaimed feeling happier than she had for a very long time.
 Page 10

“Of course. It is the perfect place for you, because you made it that way” Angel
stated, still smiling.

“How could I make a place like this?”

“By choosing to Sydney. We all create exactly what we choose — all of the time.”

“Angel look! There’s someone on the river bank!” Sydney said excitedly.

Not waiting for a response, Sydney scrambled off the pillows and raced up to the
bow of the boat. She could see the outline of a figure standing on a small dock
on the left bank. As if it could read her mind, the boat turned and moved toward
the dock.

“Angel are we…Angel? Angel, where are you? Angel!” Sydney cried out after
turning to discover her friend had disappeared.

As the boat bumped to a stop against the dockside, Sydney wheeled her gaze
back to the dock and came face to face with Matt. They stared at each other
soundlessly in total shock.
 Page 11

Chapter Five
Sydney finally found her voice saying “You?! How can you be here?”

“Me? What do you mean how can I be here? How can you be here? Chief told
me this was my place” Matt said incredulously.

“Who’s Chief?” Sydney asked automatically.

“Uh, he’s my…friend. I went out to explore on my own and he stayed at the
Treehouse. Maybe we should go see him and find out what’s going on,” Matt said
looking uncertain.

“I don’t know if I should leave my boat, Angel may come back” Sydney
responded with a concerned tone in her voice.

“Angel?” it was Matt’s turn to ask.

“Yeah, she’s my…friend and she was just here on the boat with me. Then she
was gone.”

“Well, I don’t really know what to do — but I’ll bet Chief can help” Matt responded
with conviction.

“Oh. Well, okay, I guess so…let’s go” Sydney said jumping onto the dock next to
Matt.

Matt and Sydney climbed up the bank to the meadow and headed toward the
Treehouse. Sydney couldn’t believe how high up the Treehouse was - it sat atop
of the tallest tree and towered over all of the other trees in the forest.

“That’s my Treehouse!” Matt said proudly with a smile on his face. Wait until
you’re up there — you can see everything when you’re up that high — you can
see across this whole valley!” he continued excitedly as they moved closer to it’s
base.

“I’m sure you can” Sydney said very softly, dread growing in her with every step
closer.

“Chief said I created all of this! Can you believe it? This Valley, the Treehouse...
everything!”

Sydney stopped in her tracks, grabbing Matt’s arm. He faced her questioningly
as she said, “I don’t understand this. Angel said the exact same thing to me...at
least about my boat and the river.”
 Page 12

Matt considered this new piece of information for a moment and then shook his
head in confusion. “I don’t have the answers Syd. But don’t worry; I’m sure we’ll
figure it out with Chief’s help. Here we are!” he proclaimed and she looked up to
find herself at the base of the giant tree with a ladder attached to it that worked
its way straight up to the top of the tree where Matt’s Treehouse sat.

“Just climb up the ladder. Come on!” he said.

“That’s really high — are you sure it’s safe?” she asked hesitantly.

“Of course it’s safe, why? Are you scared?” he asked with disdain in his voice.

“No, I’m not scared! I’ll climb up your stupid ladder” she responded defiantly.

“You sure you don’t need some help?” he asked condescendingly.

“NO. Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Fine. I’ll show you how it’s done” Matt said as he jumped on the ladder and
made his way nimbly and quickly up the rungs, finally getting the chance to show
Sydney how brave and strong he was. What he couldn’t see was the fact that the
only thing Sydney was noticing was the next rung in front of her as she tried
desperately not to look around her or even worse…down.

Reaching the top long before Sydney, Matt began looking for Chief. After
checking the inside of the Treehouse, he made his way completely around the
balcony calling out “Chief! Chief? Chief, where are you?” but saw no one and got
no response. Matt began to panic a little bit now. It didn’t make any sense.
Where would Chief go? He rushed back to the top of the ladder, impatient for
Sydney’s arrival.

“Are you coming? I should have known this was no place for a girl” he called
down to her with a slightly disgusted tone in his voice.

Sydney couldn’t answer. She was so scared that all she could do was
concentrate on making it the last few feet to the top. Neither one of them noticed
that in the valley surrounding the Treehouse, a strange change was beginning to
occur. The once vibrant colors of the valley had begun to lose their intensity; the
sound was changing too...it was taking on a harder, hollow-like quality.

“Finally” Matt said as Sydney pulled herself onto the balcony, breathing hard and
putting her back to the railing. “Isn’t it great up here?”

“I like it better on my boat” Sydney said with conviction. “What’s the attraction of
being stuck way up in a tree anyway?” she asked, sounding irritated.
 Page 13

“Well, if you weren’t a girl — you’d know. Warriors like having a place were they
can see what’s going on around them and keep a look out for their enemies. You
have to be tough to be a Warrior...and girls can’t be Warriors.”

“Well if you are a Warrior, I don’t want to be one. And in case you forgot, I’m the
one who stopped you from getting your head pounded in. I don’t know why boys
feel like they have to be so tough anyway, what are you trying to prove?” she
said trying to steady her voice and her breathing at the same time.

“Look. I don’t know why I even invited you here to begin with Sydney, so why
don’t you get back in your little boat and go home. Hey, what’s with the name
‘Sydney’ anyway? It sounds like a boy’s name. Maybe your parents really wanted
a boy instead. I bet they were real disappointed.”

As Matt and Sydney continued to argue, they still hadn’t noticed that the color
around them was almost completely gone. Even the strong comforting smell of
cedar had disappeared. The only color still evident anywhere, was Matt and
Sydney themselves. Their beautiful valley has become cold and empty — just
like their words.

“For your information, Sydney was my grandmother’s name.” Then Sydney burst
into tears stuttering “and they already had a boy.”

“Wow, I made the tough girl cry. Don’t expect me to treat you nice just because
you’re crying. I have a sister and I know all about those stupid girl tricks” Matt
said with an ugly look on his face.

“You don’t know anything about girls and you don’t know anything about me.
You’re not a Warrior either — you’re just a bully. I wish I hadn’t helped you and I
wish I never came up to your stupid Treehouse!” she yelled back.

“Then leave. I don’t want you around here anyway. Go!” Matt yelled pointing at
the ladder.

Sydney couldn’t move. She was overwhelmed with anger and fear, and she felt
completely helpless because there was no way she could climb back down the
ladder…she was trapped.

“Look, if your waiting for me to apologize, it’s not going to happen, so get on your
little girly boat and float away” Matt said emphatically.

“You’re such a jerk! My brother fell off a ladder a few months ago and he died
right in front of me! I can’t climb down your stupid ladder Matt! I’m so scared I
can’t even move. Are you happy now? You win Matt; you know what I’m afraid of.
I guess you were right, I’m not tough enough to be a Warrior like you” Sydney
sobbed uncontrollably.
 Page 14

Matt kept his eyes on Sydney unable to find a single word to say. Too many
hurtful words had already come out of his mouth and he didn’t trust what he
might say anymore. He was so certain of so many things just a few minutes ago
and now everything was a mess.
 Page 15

Chapter Six
A cold wind swept across them and shadows were all that remained of the once
beautiful valley and Treehouse. Only two figures stood out against a world of
gray and black. As Sydney began to speak, her hollow voice became entangled
with the growing shadows.

“It’s so cold. Matt…what’s happening?” Sydney said fearfully.

“I….I don’t know. Sydney?”

“What?

“Now I’m scared” he admitted, meeting her eyes so she could see that he really
meant it.

“I am too, but I don’t think Angel, or your friend Chief, would let anything bad
happen to us” she said after pausing for a moment to think it through.

“I guess not. You know, Chief told me that I made this place and I brought him
here too...I just don’t remember doing it...I think that’s important somehow.”

“Yeah” Sydney replied, sniffling a little bit as she calmed down. “Angel said
something like that to me...but how does that help us?”

Matt walked over to Sydney and timidly offered his hand to help her.

“I’m not sure yet. Maybe we should go inside, I have a couple of chairs and
inside you won’t have to look down, you can’t even see outside if you don’t want
to. You’ll feel safer in there” Matt said softly.

Once Sydney was certain Matt wasn’t making fun of her, she took his hand and
let him help her into his Treehouse. He moved a chair so she could sit with her
back to the door so she didn’t have to look outside.

“Thanks Matt. It’s a lot better in here” she said gratefully.

“Your welcome Syd. You know, these changes must mean something, we just
have to figure it out.”

“I know. Okay, let’s try to think this through calmly. When did things start to
change?”

“I don’t know. One minute we were off to see this Treehouse, then we were
fighting and then this” Matt replied with a thoughtful look on his face.
 Page 16

Matt and Sydney continued to try to figure out what had happened. They sat
silently thinking about everything they had done and said. As they did, unnoticed
by them, the color had begun to return to the valley outside the Treehouse.

“Angel told me that I created this place...that I can create anything I choose to...”
Sydney mused out loud as she tried to remember everything that happened
before things had started to go so wrong.

“Yeah, Chief said the same thing to me” Matt said nodding. “Syd?”

“What?

“I’m really sorry about the stuff I said to you...I didn’t know...I mean...I wouldn’t
have — I guess I wanted someone else besides Chief to see my fort and when
you didn’t seem to like it I got mad...but I shouldn’t have...” Matt trailed off with
his head down. He was truly mortified at the way he had acted.

“It’s okay Matt. I don’t like people knowing what scares me. I could have told you
that I didn’t want to go up and why...it’s just that I liked, well - like you - and I
didn’t want you to think I was afraid of everything” Sydney said, meeting Matt’s
sheepish eyes with a small smile.

As they talked, outside, the black and gray their new world had changed to was
shifting slowly back to soft muted colors, the cold wind had almost disappeared
and the sun was once again trying to break its way through the dark sky.

“And Syd...I never, ever would’ve said what I did about your parents having a son
if I’d known...I mean…ever” Matt said emphatically, leaning toward her and
placing his hand on her arm.

“I know that Matt and to tell you the truth...I knew how bad it would make you feel
if I told you about Brett” Sydney admitted quietly.

“So...we’re okay then - right? And just for the record — there’s no way I would’ve
wanted to climb up that ladder if the same thing happened to me” Matt said
sincerely.

Sydney’s head snapped up and she looked Matt in the eyes “Really?” she asked.

“Really...that took major guts” Matt assured her. “Hey look!” he said suddenly,
looking past her shoulder and outside.
 Page 17

Sydney took Matt’s hand and she cautiously followed him out onto the balcony.
The colors were at their brightest again with the sun shining warmly in the crystal
clear blue sky. They were also greeted by the rich smells of the forest, the
sounds of birds singing and two voices that rose behind them. Matt and Sydney
looked at each other and then both whirled around with their mouths hanging
open in surprise.

“You were right Angel, it did not take them very long to figure things out. Now,
how about we take a closer look around this place you two have created?” Chief
said calmly to Matt and Sydney as though everything that had, and was
happening, was perfectly normal.

Choosing to bypass on the obvious questions, Matt focused on his greatest

concern – Sydney. “No, you don’t understand Chief...Syd needs help...the
ladder...”

Matt started to explain that he wanted to help Sydney and suddenly he found all
four of them standing firmly on the ground beneath the Treehouse.

“Oh thank you Angel!” Sydney said embracing her friend.

“Why, you’re welcome Sydney...but ‘thank you’ for what?”

Sydney laughed and said ”For what? For bringing me down here so I didn’t have
to use the ladder again.”

“You’re thanking the wrong person Sydney. I didn’t do that.”

Sydney blushed and turned to Chief saying “Oh I’m sorry...thank you Chief...why
are you shaking your head?”

“It was not me Sydney,” he said with a knowing look in his eyes and a small smile
playing both his and Angel’s lips.

Slowly, mirroring Angel and Chief’s smiles, Sydney turned to Matt. “Thank you
Matt.”

“Uh...you’re welcome...I think. What’s going on? Did I really do that? How? Can I
do it again?” he asked with a grin on his face.
 Page 18

Chief nodded and replied, “Yes. You really did that. And you know how... stop for
a minute and think about what has happened so far.”

Sydney piped up right away saying “It was you who wanted to help me get down
Matt then - poof! We were down.”

“Yeah...but...hey! Syd! That’s what this was all about! Angel and Chief didn’t do
any of it...WE DID. We changed everything. When we got angry and mean,
everything around us seemed to...well, react. It’s like we were...”

“....draining away the life around us...even the sun went away” Sydney jumped in
finishing Matt’s sentence. She turned to Angel as she continued, “That’s what
you meant when you said I create everything around me. Does that mean I can
change stuff in my real life any way I want to...or is that just here?”

“Life works the same way no matter where you are Sydney. You get to choose…
not only the two of you...everyone gets to choose what they want to surround
themselves with. This isn’t about what anyone else tells you is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’
either, it’s about choosing what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ for you. You get to decide
what you want to create in life by the feelings, thoughts, words and actions you
choose...because in the end, no one else can. And that is ultimately what shapes
your life and the experience you have” Angel responded with a smile in her eyes.

“But if that’s true, I still don’t really understand why the colors and sounds went
away...it looked like everything was just a shadow of what it really was” Matt said
still feeling confused about their experience.

“Who are you Matt? Are you mean? Or do you care about how other people feel
as you move through the world?” Chief asked him intently.

“Oh!” Matt said, understanding flooding his face. “I wasn’t really being...myself. At
least not the way I usually am anyway...so the stuff I was doing wasn’t
really...real.”

“That’s what it was,” Sydney said understanding as well. “Everything looked like
a shadow because we weren’t showing each other who we really were — and as
soon as we did...”

“Everything looked real again!” Matt finished triumphantly.

Chief turned to Angel smiling as he said, “They do make a good team — don’t
they?”

– END –