Beneath the Quiet in Glimmerwood – Episode 1

Sometimes when children lose something they love, they don’t always know how to explain what they feel. Instead, they may grow quiet while their hearts try to understand what has happened.

Beneath the Quiet in Glimmerwood is the first episode in a gentle fantasy series that explores friendship, courage, and the hidden feelings children sometimes carry inside.

 

Beneath the Quiet in Glimmerwood

Episode 1

One quiet spring day, a little elf named Ember and his puppy dragon, Spark, lay on top of a small cliff overlooking Glimmerwood Stream. It was their favorite place. They loved the soft grass and warm, gentle breezes. From there they could watch the crystal blue water of the stream flow from their small village deep into the forest.

Radiant sunlight slipped through the tall trees and rested softly on Ember’s cheeks, making them glow like the evening sun. Beside him, Spark ran excitedly in circles trying to catch his tail. He stopped abruptly and leapt onto Ember’s back and gently chewed at his pointed ear. Ember laughed out loud. Spark suddenly stopped again and darted after a bumblebee that buzzed near his nose.

“Come on, Spark. It’s time to go home.”

The little puppy dragon looked back at him, his tail wagging wildly.

“Arf!” he barked happily before flying ahead through the trees as the sun began to lower in the sky.

Ember stood up and brushed the grass from his clothes. For a moment he hesitated. Listening…he thought he heard something—soft whispers drifting from the forest. The forest stood still…very quiet. Too quiet, he thought.

“Arf! Arf!”

Ember smiled. “I’m coming, boy. Be patient,” he called as he began running down the hill. “I know it’s time to eat.”

He raced down the slope as fast as he could, but something caught his foot. It was a tree root. Ember tumbled forward and rolled to the bottom of the hill, barely missing Spark by a few inches.

“Ow!”

He rolled onto his back and sat up, grabbing his ankle. The pain shot through his leg like lightning. Ember slowly opened his hands and peeked at it. His ankle looked like a swollen plum. The pain continued to throb, but he was determined not to cry.

Spark flew quickly back to him and landed beside his knee. Although Ember tried to hide it, Spark sensed something was wrong. The little dragon flapped his wings softly and lifted himself just enough to lick the dirt and leaves from Ember’s cheeks.

Ember laughed through the pain and pulled Spark into his arms.

“Spark, you’re the best friend a little elf could ever have.”

Spark’s hazel-gray eyes sparkled as his tongue hung happily from his mouth. He watched Ember use an old tree branch for a walking stick, and he carefully protected him as they slowly made their way down the trail on the way home. Ember’s mom was in the kitchen waiting. She helped him to a chair and placed cool ice on his ankle to reduce the swelling and wrapped it carefully in a bandage.

That night Ember lay on a fur rug while Spark rested beside him. He rubbed the little puppy dragon’s belly while his mother read him a bedtime story. It wasn’t just any story. It was an adventure. And to Ember, adventures were the best kind.

Early the next morning, Ember rushed toward the door. He didn’t even stop for breakfast.

“Where are you going this morning?” his father asked.

“Spark and I are going on an adventure through the forest—just like the elf in the story Mom read last night!”

His mother glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Don’t forget,” she said gently, “the best part of an adventure is the journey.”

“I won’t forget!” Ember called as he dashed out the door. Close behind him flew his trusted little friend, Spark.

Ember and Spark ran to Glimmerwood Stream and followed it into the forest. In the cool morning light, Ember noticed three silver-cap mushrooms growing near the edge of the water. Their tops shimmered with dew and moonlight that had not yet faded from the night. He picked one up and grinned.

“Spark! Come here, boy. I have something you really love.” He looked at Spark and winked. “Let’s play a game. Fetch!”

Ember tossed the mushroom as far as he could. Spark shot through the trees like a tiny streak of wings and excitement. A moment later he burst back out from behind a bush with the mushroom clamped proudly in his mouth. Before Ember could say a word, Spark swallowed it in one bite. His tail wagged wildly as if to say, that was easy.

Ember laughed. “Alright, that one was too easy. Let’s try again.”

He picked up the second mushroom and wound up his arm before throwing it even farther into the forest. Spark vanished behind a thick cluster of shrubs. For a moment, the forest grew quiet. Then suddenly the little puppy dragon returned, flying happily back toward Ember with the mushroom in his mouth. He gulped it down proudly.

Ember caught him out of the air and rubbed his head. “You’re getting better every time!”

Spark wriggled free and hovered eagerly in the air. He knew there was one mushroom left.

“Alright, boy,” Ember said with a mischievous grin. “Last one.” He held the final mushroom high above his head like a champion baseball player. “This time I’m really going to throw it.”

Ember hurled the mushroom with all his strength deep into the forest. Spark shot after it instantly. Ember laughed and sat down near the stream to wait. While he waited, he leaned over the water and picked up a few smooth pebbles to add to his collection.

Minutes passed. The forest remained still. Ember looked up. Spark hadn’t returned. He frowned. That’s strange…Spark always came back. Always. 

“Spark!” Ember called.

No answer.

“Here, boy!”

Still nothing. Ember stood and walked farther into the trees.

“Spark! S-P-A-R-K! Where are you?”

His voice echoed softly through the forest. The sun slowly began to lower in the sky. Ember searched everywhere. Behind trees. Under bushes. Along the stream. But Spark never appeared.

Soon the forest grew darker, and the shadows stretched long between the trees. Ember didn’t notice the dirt covering the front of his shirt from when he rolled on the ground looking under the shrubs. He didn’t notice the scratches on his hands from pushing through the bushes. He didn’t even notice the tears running down his face as he searched for his best friend. The only thing he noticed as he slowly walked home in the fading light…was the tight pain in his chest. A pain he didn’t understand. A pain he didn’t have words for. And deep beneath the quiet of Glimmerwood Forest…something had changed.

 

Ember doesn’t yet know that the mystery of Spark’s disappearance will soon involve the entire forest of Glimmerwood. Episode 2 will continue the story.

— Written by W. L. Shaw, creator of Fanciful Tales