When Children Finally Open Up…But the World Around Them Feels Unsettled | Glimmerwood Episode 4

In this episode of Beneath the Quiet in Glimmerwood, Ember finally begins to share what he’s been carrying inside. But as his world opens up, so does something else—a growing tension within the forest itself.

As Ember searches for answers, he discovers that not everything can be easily understood… especially when emotions, fear, and confusion begin to spread.

 

When Ember walked through the door, his parents were waiting for him. The tears were gone, but the signs remained. Dried tears on his cheeks hid behind Ember's smile. His red eyes were still swollen; a clue that something was deeply wrong.

“Come sit with us,” his father said, gesturing. He made space so Ember could sit between them on the couch.

Ember’s mom wrapped her arm gently around his shoulders, pulling him close. He felt the warmth of her body and the emotions he had been holding inside began to rise again.

“Ember, I was cleaning your room and I found this.”

 She pulled the drawing of Spark from under a book and showed it to him. As she did, she saw tears falling down his cheeks even though he tried to hide them.

“Son, look at me.” She gently placed her hand under his chin, lifting his head so his eyes met hers. “Please tell me what’s wrong. It doesn’t matter what it is. Your father and I are here to help.”

Ember wiped the corner of his eye and looked at them both. He explained how he and Spark went on an adventure near Glimmerwood Stream. He also told them about the game and how Spark didn’t come back after the third toss.

“He always comes back…always,” Ember cried collapsing into his mother’s lap.

She looked at her husband. Her eyes watered with concern as she rubbed their son’s back.

The evening moon glowed through the window as the family spent hours talking and deciding on different strategies for finding Spark. Ember felt better and his mother prepared a quick meal. After dinner, she agreed he could go to bed again without reading a nighttime story because she understood he didn’t want to listen to a story without Spark.

Ember lovingly hugged his parents before going to his room. That night he felt calm for the first time since Spark disappeared. He was still concerned about his best friend, but he was more at peace now that his parents knew. They were not only concerned about Spark, but about him too.

When Ember closed the door, Mrs. Pointlin looked at her husband. Her face was drenched with concern.

“I don’t know how long we can keep this conflict from him. It seems to be getting worse. And now that Spark is missing, it will be difficult to go into the forest to look for him and not be in the middle of it.”

“It was agreed last night that everyone in the village would stay home until it is over. I heard about it this morning,” said her husband while looking out the window and rubbing his forehead.

“What’s happening? Does anyone know what’s going on?” She asked.

“Not exactly. We know the problem is between the dragonflies and the cicadas.”

“Why can’t they talk to one another and resolve this?”

“Apparently, the problem has gotten so big, it now involves all the forest animals and they are taking sides. Because the division has escalated, the fairies have gotten involved to try and restore peace to the forest,” said Mr. Pointlin, sighing deeply.

His wife quickly grabbed her mouth. “It’s gotten very serious if the fairies are involved. They are the guardians of nature and the animals." She looked at her husband with wide, glossy eyes. "They only appear to protect them from being hurt.”

Mr. Pointlin slowly nodded.

“How are we going to look for Spark?” she asked looking back towards Ember’s door.

“I’m still thinking about that. Right now, we need to keep him away from his orb so he doesn’t find out about the uprising. I don’t want him leaving here searching through the forest looking for Spark alone.”

During their discussion, Ember’s parents didn’t realize he was still awake. His mother didn’t notice the soft blue glow flowing beneath his door when she glanced behind her. Ember was already on his orb trying to contact his friends, but they didn’t answer.  That was very weird. He searched frantically for any information about Glimmerwood Forest. He was determined to find out what “bad thing” was happening and why the animals he saw that morning were acting so strangely. His orb was no help. The screen suddenly went blank with a scrolling message that said: “We apologize for the inconvenience. But your orb is experiencing technical difficulties. Thank you for your patience!”

Ember looked at his orb in disbelief. It had never done that before.

“Hello, Ember!”

A soft voice startled him. Ember turned and saw Ivan sitting next to his window.

“I told you I would find you.”

“Ivan, what’s happening? Everything seems to have changed overnight.”

“Unfortunately, Ember, it has. But not in the way you think.”

“What do you mean?”

Ivan looked at the moon. A heavy, dark cloud hovered below it covering the forest making it very difficult to see the trees.

“I came to tell you what I found out. You need to know before you search for your little puppy.”

“Is it that serious?”

“Yes. I saw you on your orb.” Ivan said curiously.

“It’s not working.”

“I know,” Ivan replied.

“How do you know?”

“None of the orbs are working. Your parents are making sure you don’t find out what’s happening in the forest. They are trying to protect you by keeping the information from you.”

Ember sat back on the edge of his bed. His eyes glued to Ivan’s face as he explained.

“They have good intentions. But I was concerned you would go into the forest without knowing and something bad may happen to you.”

“Knowing what?” asked Ember anxiously.

“Something happened the other day. Two good friends, a dragonfly and a cicada, were playing in the forest. They saw a strange stone sticking out of the mud under a log. It was an old relic. It turns out, the relic opens the ancient Chest of Joy…so it is very precious. Each of them said they found it first. This is where the problem began.”

“Why?  You said they are friends…right?”

“I said…they were friends. The problem is they could not resolve the issue between themselves. Then other dragonflies and cicadas got involved. And now all the animals in the forest are involved and the problem has gotten out of control. A lot of tension has grown in the forest because of fear. There is a great fear that someone will get hurt. It’s so ironic to me, because the relic opens the Chest of Joy and none of this is joyous.”

Ivan held his head down. Ember saw his eyes turn gray again just as they did when he first met him.

“I didn’t want you to go into the forest without knowing,” said Ivan in a very low voice. “I don’t want you to get hurt Ember.”

“Thank you for coming. I don’t want you to get hurt either.” Ember looked out the window at the thick, grey clouds. “You better hurry home. It’s getting very dark.”

Ivan agreed. He gently smiled before flying away into the darkness.

 Ember was overwhelmed. His mind was flooded with thoughts. He was anxious about the conflict between the dragonflies and the cicadas. He was concerned about how his parents would help him.

He rolled over. He lay curled up looking at the moon gripping his chest. What about Spark? He thought.  He was worried about him most of all. Not only was he lost, but was he safe in this conflict?

Ember rolled over again and curled up tightly, his thoughts tangled and heavy. The forest felt different now… and so did everything else. Spark was still missing. And now, the world around him no longer felt as safe as it once had.

As Ember’s search for Spark continues, he may discover that the forest is hiding more than he ever imagined…

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