Here is Emma’s next installment of her story of Satrem, Treek and the elves…
Satrem the elf sat up and stretched. He was feeling very contented right now because he had finished the last row of apple trees that needed to be weeded, right where the majority of the apples would fall around the base of the trees. The weeds grew so wild and tall in the Woody Glades that when the fruit fell the weeds seemed to swallow them up so the fruit is hidden and can be stepped on by the harvesters. They used ladders to reach the apples in the trees, but most apples were picked up and collected from the ground.
Satrem walked slowly along the many rows of apple trees and inhaled the crisp autumn air. It was good that he was going to the Autumn Festivities later so he could take a break from his work. His work was not that bad physically, but mentally for him to be squatting on the ground all day was quite difficult.
He walked briskly now, passing various knobbles of Treek pushing up, passing a grape orchard and a colorful garden. Then he came to a wide kind of green plank and pushed at it until a latch sprung up from inside and revealed a gaping dark hole. It was actually more of a tunnel with many lit torches along the sides. He plunged down and grabbed a torch. Satrem smelled the tunnel’s familiar earthy smell and came to a fork with two tunnels branching off. Once again, there were two more green planks concealing the passageways. He walked to the left gate and pushed so that the latch sprung, and he walked on.
Soon he began to see the illuminated doorways of other elves’ homes. The passageway kept on winding and winding and he came to another fork in the dark and continued on straight. The tunnel had been getting increasingly smaller but now it was about the same as when it had started, about a long cave-sized length. The path now shifted upward a bit, and shafts of light appeared ahead. Suddenly, the cave seemed to drop out to a humongous size, and many paths branched off until the roof came to a dome. Satrem stepped up into an enormous wooden room. Satrem looked up at it and said softly out loud, “I wonder how many times I have stepped inside Treek and have looked up and gazed at this starry host above me.” It was quite an appropriate statement because the dome of this wooden room truly did have painted starry skies above, with all the constellations and planets. Reader, as you may have guessed, he was inside the very center at the very base of the indescribably large Treek.
Satrem looked about him at the room and ran to an arched window. This room in Treek was barely a foot off the ground, but he always ran to see the woods outside when he came in this room, just like how he gazed at the starry host above. It was a clear blue day earlier, but now it seemed even bluer and he whistled a joyful tune as he walked to a door that led to a staircase going up. It opened out again into a large expanse of space with another staircase winding up and up and up around the base. Satrem started up the stairs and came to about the fifteenth floor and then he stopped next to a green door on the right. He opened it (this time using a doorknob and not a latch-spring door) and stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind him.
Home. He changed into a crisp white shirt and his brown leaf-fiber trousers from his closet and then washed his face and hands in the basin of water next to his window. Satrem surveyed himself in the mirror. His face was like leather from the long summer of being out in the harvest fields, but his green eyes made his face look less serious and rather more spirited and young. He began to comb his hair and whistle once more a jolly tune.
Someone knocked on the door to his room. Satrem stopped whistling and went to answer it, smiling. He had a feeling about who was rapping loudly.
“Hi Mr. Satrem!” said a little girl with big blue eyes and a wide-toothed smile. “I can’t wait to go to the banquet tonight, can you?”
She didn’t wait for an answer from him. “Guess what?”
“What,” said Satrem with a smile, “in the world happened?”
“Guess, Mr. Satrem! Guess!” she said breathlessly.
“You lost another tooth?”
“No.”
“You won the spelling games?”
She giggled. “You think I could win my school’s spelling games? No way in the whole wide universe is that possible. I only started spelling this year. Nope, not that.”
“So did you get another oak leaf hat from your grandmother?”
“You aren’t ever going to guess!” she said. “I’ll just tell you myself. Is that all right?” she said more thoughtfully.
“Of course it’s all right, Laurel. You know it is. Now go ahead,” he prodded.
“Well …” Suddenly she blushed and looked at her feet. “I’m going to sing at choir tonight. And every night. Grandpappy said it would be splendid and all the musical High Leaders agreed.” She was blushing so much now that she looked like a ripe red strawberry.
Satrem exclaimed, “Oh Laurel, I just knew with that beautiful voice of yours that you would be in choir someday! Congratulations!”
“Thank you ,”Laurel said shyly. “I hear Mammy calling me now so I better go on to her.”
“All right Laurel. And ask your dear mother if you may come to my room tomorrow and you and I could have a little celebration.”
“Thank you! See you later!” Laurel walked promptly out the door and down the hall. (She had not quite yet recovered from her blushing spell and was quite flustered for a five –year old by the time she returned to home.)
Satrem closed the door gently, smiling, and then sat at his window to read a book with a silver spine that was titled The Moon and the Stars. A little red bird began to chirp right on the ledge and he stared at it, distracted but not annoyed. He put his book down and went to his cupboard for a sack of seeds. When he walked back to the windowsill the bird was still there, and he threw it seeds until a big squirrel came along and scared away the little bird. Satrem tidied everything up a bit and emerged in the hallway. He went to the big spiral stairs again and began to ascend up and up and up until he went to the top canopy porch of all of Treek. It was called The Great Room of Treek’s Top.
The elves had all gathered and Satrem was one of the last to arrive. There were thousands of wooden chairs all facing one of the highest boughs that had a porch winding around it, which was the Pascere’s pulpit. All the elves began to find their seats and quiet themselves and the others around them. Everyone waited in silent anticipation as the Musical High Leaders tuned their instruments. Then the door to the pulpit opened and Malcrux came out, not the Pascere. Everyone started whispering and murmuring because the Pascere had not come to introduce the music. Malcrux raised his hand for silence.
The quiet suspense became so great that when someone in the back row sneezed, everyone turned around and stared with wide eyes.
Malcrux finally began, “I have some bad news, and I am afraid that you will all be very upset.” He had a most terrible look of false sympathy. “Your Pascere, I mean our Pascere, is terribly ill. He is dying in his bed.”
All the elves gasped and many of the families began to weep together bitterly. “I am dreadfully sorry to be the one to tell you this. Doctor Homotren said that there is hardly any chance of him lasting through the night.” Malcrux frowned insincerely. “The good news is that I will become your new Pascere, and I will choose a younger boy to be my assistant.” He paused and added, “Like I was.”
Everyone froze. Nobody spoke, moved or sneezed. Nobody. The air seemed to have become stale, and the staleness swallowed every elf in the room and beyond. It was probably the most silent minute that the world has ever seen.
Quietly, a little girl went onto the raised platform at the end of the porch and began to sing. Her voice quavered and shook, but it was still very clear and beautiful. She stopped and then said, “Everybody sing with me.” Slowly everyone joined in, and then the orchestra. They were singing a very old hymn that is not heard in these days, but most of it consisted of ‘Hallelujahs’ and ‘Praise be to Him who dwells in the heavens.’ Once the song was finished, the choir members went to the back of the room and sat down. Malcrux applauded curtly and impatiently, then he called for all young men from ages eighteen to twenty-five to come down into the offices below.
Satrem shifted uncomfortably in his chair and then got up and trudged down a flight of stairs to the offices, leaving the children, women and the men older than twenty six mournfully trying to eat some of the food from the large silver platters.
Wow, Emma, you are doing a great job. I am really enjoying your story and can’t wait to read more. Keep writing.
Love you lots,
Mema
Emma,
Wow! I just happened to go to your mom’s web sight and your next chapter was posted. I am really enjoying your story. Very suspenseful! Looking forward to what comes next! I love you.
Grandmama
Alert me when you post the next episode.I want to read it as soon as possible!
Really good story, Emma. Hard to believe you are only 12 years old and can write like this.
Love it! Keep it up!
I think it is an awesome book so far Emma. It’s great! — Hallie
I think so too Emma! — Aunt Lori