Captured

The next morning Rosalie, the Horse, Little Owl and the team of Owls woke from their sleep.  The Horse greeted everyone with an annoying whinnie that only the Little Owl seemed to appreciate by giggling.   The group began eating their breakfast of mice and berries for the Owls, shrubbery for the Horse and cheese and bread for Rosalie. 

As they were eating on the bank near the water, a cloud suddenly darkened the sky and they heard a whooshing of wings flapping the air.  They looked up and saw five hawks menacingly hovering over them.  The lead hawk swooped down in a dive toward them.  Rosalie could see that it had only one eye with the other being an open socket where the eye should have been.  She remembered this hawk from their first battle.  As the hawk dove toward them Rosalie scooped up the Little Owl and everyone ran for the shrubbery for cover.  The hawks dove and tried to reach them.  Sensei had picked up the jar of optical particulates in her beak and handed it to Rosalie.  She told Rosalie to scatter the particles on them so they would be invisible to the hawks and disappear in the shrubbery.  Rosalie opened the jar and began sprinkling the particles over each Owl, Horse and herself.  Within moments they were no longer visible. 

From above the hawks continued to circle and dive.  But after each dive they saw fewer and fewer of their prey in the shrubbery.  Until finally all of their prey had disappeared and the Hawks saw nothing but shrubbery below them.  The Hawks circled for awhile longer and then flew off into the distance.  Rosalie and the group were still covered in the particles and invisible even to each other.  One of the messenger Owls quickly walked to the water to remove the particles from himself.  Slowly he began to become visible.  The rest of the group began also walking toward the water when they heard screeching and a hawk dove to scoop up the wet messenger Owl in its claws.  It flew off with the Owl trying to free itself from the Hawk’s grasp. 

Rosalie and the group were invisible as they had not yet washed the particles from them.  Out of the sky, the four remaining Hawks landed on the shore near the water.  Rosalie and the group were invisible to the Hawks but any sound or movement would trigger the Hawks’ attention.  The Hawks were assembled in a circle talking among themselves.  Rosalie was holding the Little Owl in her arms when without warning the Little Owl let out a small sneeze.  Thinking they heard something, the Hawks stopped talking to listen more closely.  The one-eyed Hawk began walking toward the sound where the Little Owl had sneezed.  He came closer and closer to Rosalie and her eyes became wide.  

Just then a gust of wind came out of nowhere and kicked up sand all around them.  A blinding dust storm swept over them.  In the same instant, it was suddenly gone with everyone dusted in sand and those who were invisible were now visible to each other. 

The one-eyed Hawk cleared the sand from his eye and saw Rosalie and the Little Owl directly in front of him.  Rosalie dropped the Little Owl to the ground and prepared to fight the one-eyed Hawk.  She attempted to kick him but the Hawk caught her foot in its claw and unfurled its wings.  The Hawk suddenly rolled to its side and the Horse was standing over it.  The Horse had kicked the Hawk where it had lost its eye and caused the Hawk to stumble aside in pain.  He was still holding onto Rosalie’s foot and she tumbled with him.  The Hawk managed to recover and took flight with Rosalie in its claws.                  

An Angry Voice

Rosalie joined the group as they were eating around the campfire, however, she sat off by herself in the darkness.  Sensei sensed that a darkness had come over Rosalie but Sensei did not acknowledge it. 

After eating they cleared the area and prepared places to sleep.  After a few hours of sleeping, Rosalie suddenly awoke and sat up.  It was dark except for a sliver of moon that provided some light.  She heard the wind and looked toward the wooded shrubbery.  She got up and walked into the woods not knowing why or where she was being drawn.  Sensei heard Rosalie’s movements and quietly followed behind her.  

Rosalie walked for what seemed to be a long time.  She stopped and heard a ringing in her left ear.  The ringing turned into a high pitched sinister voice that said “Who are you? You’re not anyone I know or care to know.”  The voice turned into a further high pitch and the sound was suddenly gone and there was slience.  Sensei did not hear the voice but saw that Rosalie was disturbed.  She kept her distance without making a sound.  Rosalie looked confused and then angry.  She turned, walked back toward the camp and lay down to sleep until morning.  Sensei knew there was danger but she did nothing while she gathered more information.  

Sensei's story

Sensei was quiet as she took in the Little Owl’s words.  Little Owl then said “Who are you?”  Sensei proceeded to introduce herself.  “I was born a long time ago.  My parents were scholars and they taught me science, medicine and law.  My life has been devoted to learning and protecting those who cannot protect themselves.”  The Little Owl’s eyes widened and he said “You must be very smart.  I wish I knew as much as you do.  Why do you protect those who can’t protect themselves?”  Sensei looked off in the distance knowing that there was a reason for her wanting to protect the weak but did not explain this to the Little Owl at this moment.

Sensei rose from her seat and began to clear the table and asked the Little Owl to help her.  The Little Owl was pleased to be of service to this majestic creature.  It was getting chilly in the room and so Sensei began a fire for them to sit by.  They sat on chairs and there was a brief silence where only the crackling of the wood in the fireplace could be heard.  

Sensei then began to speak.  “My family and I lived on a farm not far from here.   We made our home high up in the rafters in a barn that was on a farmer’s land.  The farmer, named Samuel, was a kind and generous man who helped many poor farmers and people of the community.  His crops were abundant, he grew hay, fruits and vegetables.  When other farmers had trouble feeding their livestock, he would offer some of his hay free of charge until they could afford to buy their own.  He would give children whose parents were too proud to ask for handouts gifts of strawberries and green beans. 

Many of the farms were owned by families where the land had been passed down from generation to generation.  Except at the edge of town there was a farm that was purchased by a wealthy company.  The owners came with large equipment to pick and spray the crops.  The company began to offer money to the farmers who owned the land around them.  The farmers were poor and they took offers that were well below the market value.  Slowly the neighbors began to move out and the large equipment continued to move in.  Samuel saw what was happening and my parents and I could hear him in the barn curse the big company and tell himself never to sell his land.  Up in the rafters, we vowed to help him keep that promise since we also did not want to lose our home. 

We could see from the barn slick cars drive up to Samuel’s house and people in nice clothes get out to talk to Samuel.  Later we would listen from the rafters and hear Samuel complain about the visitors that they were trying to bully him off his farm.  But Samuel wouldn’t budge.

A few months later, in the spring when the crops were ready to be picked, it was evening when I was asleep and my parents woke me to the smell of smoke.  I climbed onto my Mother’s back and we flew from the barn.  We saw a man and woman pouring gasoline around the farm and my parents, with me on my Mother’s back, flew and clawed at them.  The intruders swatted at us but continued their work.  

Samuel was outside of his house and could see his crop being destroyed by fire.  He stood there dumbfounded.  Meanwhile, my parents continued to peck and claw at the man and woman when the woman took out a knife and began swinging it in the air at us.  My Father was darting toward her eyes when she held up her knife and speared him.  My Mother placed me in a tree and began to attack when the man also pulled out a knife and clipped her wing with it.  She was hurt and after several moments of fighting she flew back to the tree where she had left me and without words her breathing became heavy and then silent.   
   

With my Mother laying still next to me, I looked out at the field as it was consumed by fire.  The flames had spread to the barn that was previously my family’s home.  I saw Samuel sobbing but safe from the fire.  I flew toward him, allowing my wing to gently brush his hair and then I flew off into the night without looking back.” 

After telling her story, Sensei and the Little Owl sat silently for several minutes.  The fire in the room was turning into embers and slowly the Little Owl’s eyes became heavy and his head bobbed until he fell asleep.  

The Separation

It was only a few months ago when it happened.  The Little Owl was sitting in the family’s nest that they had just moved into.  The previous owners were doves who had moved out to look for a bigger nest to accommodate their larger family.  The Little Owl looked around the nest and could see baby feathers and digested food from the previous family who lived there.  The Little Owl heard its stomach growl and was wondering when the family would eat.  Mother Owl had left earlier and said she wouldn’t be gone long and would return with a juicy mouse or other rodent.  After a long time, or what was several hours, the Mother Owl never returned.  The sun began to set and it became dusk.  

The Little Owl was hungry and worried.  It climbed up and out of the nest and stood on its edge.  Looking out it could see a vast canyon and trees.  It would have been beautiful to see, except the Little Owl was worried and very hungry.  As the Little Owl looked down it could see a mouse scurry below.  The Little Owl in its excitement leans over to locate the mouse and loses its balance.  It had not quite developed its wings yet in order to be able to fly.  And so, it fell through the air, hit the ground and rolled and rolled along the side of a hill. 

Things went dark.  When the Little Owl next opened its eyes, it was in a room that looked like their nest at home but was much bigger and had debris from partially eaten mice and other prey.  The Little Owl was confused as to where he was and called out for its Mother saying “Mother, where are you?  Are you back from hunting?”  The Little Owl could hear shuffling in the next room.  The door slowly opened and there appeared a majestic Owl who looked at the Little Owl with kind eyes.  The Little Owl demanded to know, “Where am I?  Where’s my Mother?”.  The majestic Owl said, “My name is Sensei.  I was flying high above the canyon and saw you lying on the ground and took you into my home.  I am sorry, I don’t know where your Mother is.”  The Little Owl wasn’t frightened.  There was silence for a few seconds when the Little Owl’s stomach growled for food.  It quickly put its little wing over its stomach and Sensei said “How rude of me, I didn’t offer you any food.  Let’s go into the next room and I have prepared a supper for us to eat and to get to know each other better.”  The Little Owl hopped behind Sensei as they walked to the next room.  

In the next room was a table with two places for Sensei and the small Owl to sit.  Sensei said “Please have a seat and we will start with an appetizer.”  She left the room to the kitchen and came back with a plate of snails and grasshoppers.  She laid the food down and said “First let us say grace to the Big Whale”.  The Little Owl bowed its head and Sensei said the following “Big Whale thank you for letting me find this Little Owl so I may have someone to share this bountiful dinner with.”  

The Little Owl was famished and quickly ate two of the grasshoppers.  He was not used to the snails that were also placed on the table since his Mother never fed him such exotic food.  Sensei took a snail into her claw and using her beak she pulled out the salty flesh, showing the Little Owl how to eat this food.  The Little Owl then proceeded to eat a first, then a second and a third snail, enjoying this new delicacy.  After they had finished the appetizers Sensei went back into the kitchen and brought a catfish on a plate for them to share.  She used her beak to break the flesh from the bones and placed some of the fish on the Little Owl’s plate.  The Little Owl hungrily ate the fish.  

As Sensei saw that the Little Owl was satiated she began a conversation.   “Tell me Little Owl, do you remember why you landed on the ground where I found you?”  The Little Owl cleared its throat and said “No I don’t.  All I remember is that I was waiting for my Mother to return to our home and she never did.”   Sensei was quiet as she took in the Little Owl’s words.  

Little Owl then said “Who are you?”  Sensei proceeded to introduce herself.  “I was born a long time ago.  My parents were scholars and they taught me science, medicine and law.  My life has been devoted to learning and protecting those who cannot protect themselves.”.  The Little Owl’s eyes widened and he said “You must be very smart.  I wish I knew as much as you do.  Why do you protect those who can’t protect themselves?”  Sensei looked off in the distance knowing that there was a reason for her wanting to protect the weak but did not explain this to the Little Owl at this moment.  

Turmoil and sadness

Rosalie and the other Owls listened as Sensei described the plan for the group.  In her mind, Rosalie’s thoughts raced as she became resentful.  She had also stayed awake through the night thinking about how they might use the particles against the Hawks and what needed to be done to secure the area.  Her mind was telling her that she was the one who had found the particles in the first place and who had shown it to the others.  But now Sensei was standing in front of the group as if she had been the one to discover these mysterious particles.  Rosalie was silent and withdrawn avoiding eye contact with Sensei as she spoke.   

At the end of the meeting, it was beginning to get dark, the group was hungry and they decided to look for food.  They formed groups and spread out to look for mice for the Owls and fruits, vegetables, and nuts for the others.  Rosalie went off by herself to look for food that would suit her, not finding the current menu very interesting.  

As it was becoming dusk, she walked into the bushes toward where she had found the particles that made things turn invisible.  As she walked she could hear the branches creak in the wind.  The creaking sound of the branches reminded her of when she would walk in the woods at her home.  She stopped to listen and looked up at the branches to see them sway in the wind.  There was sadness in her stomach.  Clouds moved in over her above the branches.  

Then she heard a voice.  It sounded tired and depressed.  “Rosalie, what are you doing?  Nothing is important since it will all pass anyway.”  Rosalie looked around and could not see where the voice was coming from.  She felt very tired and confused, as if a weight was on her.  She sits down and then lays down to take a nap.  Things go dark.  Seconds, minutes or maybe hours later she hears rustling and isn’t sure if it’s a dream or real.  

The rustling becomes closer and closer until something soft knocks aginst her and falls off to the side.  She hears the something say “Excuse me!  Excuse me?”.   Rosalie sits up and sees the Little Owl on its side.  She rushes to the Little Owl and hugs him tightly.  The Little Owl is squished in her arms and says “I couldn’t find you and went looking for you.”  The Little Owl said “I brought the Horse who’s behind me.  Horse, Horse?  We’re over here”.  The Horse walks up and nuzzles Rosalie on the neck.  

The Little Owl says “We brought you some food since we didn’t think you would like to eat Mice or some of the other menu items”.  Rosalie looks in the Horse’s pack and finds cheese, water, French bread and an apple.  She hungrily takes out the food and eats.  They then all walk back in silence to the camp.  Rosalie did not mention the voice that she heard among the bushes.  

The Plan

Sensei asked Rosalie to bring one of the branches back to camp so the Owl could look at it more carefully.  She used her axe to remove one of the smaller branches from the trunk.  As she chopped at the branch, dust again began to settle and partially landed on each of them and as before where the particles landed they became invisible. 

They walked back to camp with the branch and gathered with the rest of the Owls around the fire.  The other Owls looked up in amazement to see that part of Rosalie’s arm was missing and the Little Owl’s beak was gone.  They exclaimed “What happened? Have you been hurt?” Sensei then told Rosalie and the Little Owl to shake the particles from themselves and as they did Rosalie’s arm and the Little Owls beak re-appeared.  Rosalie said “The dust particles from the branches of this tree cause whatever they land on to become invisible.  I have one of the small branches here.”  Sensei asked Rosalie to collect some of the particles in a small jar so they could be examined more closely.  She took a small transparent jar and a knife from the Horse’s knapsack.  She took the knife and cut a small wood chip from the branch.  It landed on her arm but did not cause her arm to disappear.  Sensei observed what was happening as she worked with the branch.  Rosalie then took her axe and began chopping at the branch and this time she captured the wood dust that floated in the air.  This time the wood dust caused whatever it landed on to disappear.  Rosalie took the particles she had collected in the jar over to the fire so they could be inspected more closely.   

Sensei asked her to rotate and tilt the jar.  As she did random dust particles  shimmered in the light of the fire.  Sensei then said, “I believe these dust particles are in fact tiny, highly reflective mirrors that bend the light around the object they sit on making the object look as if it has disappeared.  I had read in scientific journals about the theoretical possibility of such particles but no one has been able to create them experimentally.”  Everyone was silent for several moments, staring at the particles in the jar as they randomly sparkled depending on how they reflected the light from the fire.  Rosalie then gasped and said “This is remarkable!  We can dust ourselves with these particles and use them as a cloak to make us invisible.  We can then get past the Hawks and find the Little Owls parents.”  The other Owls were in enthusiastic agreement. 

They talked into the night around the fire discussing the particles and the cloak of invisibility that they could make to evade the Hawks.  The wind began to pick up and caused the fire to dance in the wind.  As it got later they decided to put out the fire and go to sleep for what was left of the night.

In the morning Rosalie awoke with a jolt remembering that she had not put a lid on the jar with the particles.  During the evening the wind had knocked over the jar and it was on its side.  She saw that the jar was visible and knew that the particles must have been swept away.  She was hoping that a few remained so she took the jar to the fire that they had made in the morning to see if she could see any particles shimmering in the light of the fire.  But the jar was empty.  She was disappointed but knew that they could get more particles from the branches in the shrubbery. 

As they sat around the fire eating their morning breakfast Rosalie said “We’ve found this remarkable substance now we need a plan.”  Before she could continue Sensei spoke saying “I had thought through the night and have come up with several things we need to do.  We don’t know how many branches have these special particles so we need to find that out.  We also need a way to carry the particles with us so we can use them when the Hawks approach.  And then we need to mark the area so that we can return to this site when we need to replenish our supply of particles.”  The Horse stood off to the side and sniggered to itself thinking this sounded like a lot of work.  

Optical particulates

As Rosalie ran onto the bank she excitedly said “Look we’re invisible!”  The Owls on the bank became confused and said “What? Who’s there?! Who’s invisible?  Are you friend or foe?”   The Little Owl says “Friend, friend.  It’s Rosalie and I who’ve become invisible but we don’t know how.”  Rosalie then says “I think the branches have some magical powers that turn things invisible”. 

Sensei walks over to the voices of Rosalie and the Little Owl and says “That’s nonsense.  Branches don’t have the power to turn things invisible.  There must be some logical explanation.  Show me the shrubbery so we can understand what is going on here." 

With the Little Owl still in her arms Rosalie takes Sensei by the wing and they disappear into the shrubbery leaving the rest of the Owls and the Horse behind.  The three of them walk when suddenly Rosalie stops and says “These are the branches that made us invisible.  When I cut the branch with my axe I could see wherever the particles land it becomes invisible.”  Sensei then told her to cut the branch.  She took her axe and began chopping.  Again the particles scattered this time landing on Sensei’s wing.  She stopped cutting so they could observe if anything happened.  Rosalie and the Little Owl exclaimed “It happened to you too!  Part of your wing is missing.”  Sensei calmly looked at its wing and said “Indeed, it appears to be missing but it is most certainly still there.”   Sensei then spread its wing and vigorously began to flap, releasing the particles and its arm begins to appear.  Rosalie then vigorously shook herself and the Little Owl and they too began to re-appear.    

Shrubbery

They flew for several hours, stopping to eat where they could find food when, in the distance, they see their team of Owls and the Little Owl.  The group is whole again with Rosalie, Sensei, the Horse, the Owls and Little Owl.  

They descend from the sky and landed along the sandy bank of a cape.  The sky was at dusk and had turned a beautiful pink.  They had only a short period of light left and so they quickly began setting up camp.  Rosalie took a small axe from the Horse’s saddle bag and walked into the shrubbery to find branches suitable for a fire.  The Little Owl hopped behind her and followed into the loose shrubbery that became thicker and more entangled. 

The messenger Owls and Sensei began making a pit for the fire and checked the area for dangerous intruders. 

Rosalie stopped to look at the branches around her and noticed the Little Owl hopping up behind her and realized he had followed her into the shrubbery.  She smiled and bent down to pat him on the head.  Rosalie then turned her attention to one branch and began chopping at it with her axe.  As she chopped she noticed a mist of fine particles escape the branch and settle on her.  She continued to chop until the branch was freed from the trunk and landed on the ground.  She bent down to pick up the branch and to look for the Little Owl but she didn’t see him.  She began to look everywhere when suddenly she heard the panicked voice of the Little Owl “Rosalie where are you?  I can’t see you.”  Rosalie then said “I’m right here.  Where are you?  There isn’t time to be playing games we need to gather branches for a fire”.  Rosalie then felt something bump into her leg.  She reached down and she could feel the soft fur of the Little Owl.  She realized she couldn’t see him but he was very much there.  She also realized she could feel her hands and leg but she couldn’t SEE here hands, leg or the rest of her body.  She and the Little Owl were utterly invisible.  She wasn’t afraid as much as she was intrigued by the whole situation.  She stopped and remembered the fine mist coming from the branch that she had been chopping.  She went back to the shrub and began using her axe to again chop the trunk.  This time she noticed that the particles that landed onto the leaves and grass made them disappear.  She said first calmly then more loudly and more loudly “Oh…OH…OHHHH!! Little Owl speak so I know where you are”.  She heard him cough and then he said “I’m over here”. From the sound of his voice she scooped him up and ran out of the shrubs and onto the bank where the Owls were gathered.  

Melancholoy

Rosalie begins to walk by herself along the bank away from the others.  She carefully walks around the fish who lay dead.   She stoops to lift the limp head of one of the fish then gently places it down again.  She continues to walk and a melancholy comes over her.   The sky is grey with swollen clouds as if before a storm.   She continues to walk along the bank away from her friends and the dead fish.  She stops, faces the lake and breathes in the cool air.  Her thoughts turn to her mother and father and the adventures she had so far.  She begins to contemplate the meaning of it all.   When suddenly Sensei and the Horse swoop down to scoop her up and they fly away looking for the rest of the group they left behind. 

Underwater

They flew for sometime when suddenly Rosalie’s left ear twitched and she and the Horse were pulled in the North direction.  Sensei saw them flying away from the group and followed.  They flew for several minutes not knowing exactly why they were flying in that direction.  Rosalie scanned the sky and the ground below then said, “There, there it is”.  

They flew downward and landed near a lake embankment.  The water was murky.  Rosalie, the Horse and Sensei were bewildered as they silently stepped around fish that were lying dead on the bank.  They scanned the distance and could see hundreds more fish lying dead or flapping wildly as they gasped for air.  Rosalie said, “Something terrible is in the water that caused our fish friends to jump onto the shore and die.  We have to go into the lake and see what is down there.”  The Horse sniffed and snorted, wondering how they were going to breathe underwater.  

Sensei said to Rosalie and the Horse, “Come stand next to me”.  The three stood closely next to each other.  Sensei began turning its head slowly, as it did so fluid came from its beak that surrounded them.  With its head 180 degrees rotated it breathed forcefully and fluid suddenly surrounded them.  They were encased by a transparent bubble.  Sensei said, “This is an oxygen emitting bubble that will allow us to breathe in the water.  We must act quickly since there is a limited amount of oxygen available to us.”   The 3 walked as a unit into the dark water.  They were completely submerged but protected by the bubble.  As they descended, the light from the water surface penetrated less so that it became darker and darker.  

Suddenly there were two very faintly glowing icy blue lights dangling in the water several meters away from them.  The lights would turn on and off every second or so.  The glowing lights came closer and closer until they could see that they were two blinking eyes.  Rosalie took from the Horse’s saddle a flashlight.   She turned on the flashlight to see that the eyes were that of a menacing crocodile, with a long reptilian tail.  The crocodile swam close to the bubble and without warning it slapped its immense tail against the bubble forcing it to move some distance. The crocodile followed and then slapped the bubble again.   The bubble deformed but did not break.  

The crocodile then swam quickly toward the bubble with its jaws wide open and its teeth exposed.   Rosalie directed the flashlight into the crocodile’s mouth and she could see many fish and Owls staring back at her.  They were horrified.  She suddenly yelled at the top of her voice, “Stop! You stop right now!”.  Just as the crocodile was ready to bite into the bubble, it stopped.  It listened for a moment.  Rosalie continued,  “Crocodile, you have many fish and Owls in your stomach.  You have to release them.”  The Crocodile thought for a moment and said, “My stomach has been terribly upset since I landed in these waters.  Do you think its because I have many fish and Owls in my stomach?”  Rosalie said “That could very well be the case.  Let’s surface and see what we could do.”  

Suddenly, without warning the crocodile gave out a huge burp and fish and Owls were released into the open water.  The fish were dazed, but they gathered themselves and swam off in all directions.  The Owls’ eyes widened as they gasped for air.  A flurry of wings and feathers beat the water.   Rosalie was terrified as yelled out “What should we do, we have to help them!”  The Owls began to lose consciousness without air.  They then saw the the crocodile had circled round and came at them with its mouth wide open.  It scooped up the Owls and engulfed them.   Before swimming off, the crocodile used its long tail to punt the bubble toward the water surface.  Both the bubble and the crocodile began to quickly ascend.  

After bursting through the water surface,  the crocodile climbed onto the bank and opened its mouth.  After several seconds, the Owls emerged damp and frightened.   Sensei, Rosalie and the Horse rolled their bubble onto the shoreline.  Sensei used its sharp claws to tear open the bubble and they all tumbled out of the bubble and onto the shore.  Rosalie approached the crocodile and said “Why did you help us?  Why didn’t you eat the Owls and fish?”   The crocodile said “My stomach feels better now that I’ve purged myself of feathers and scales.  They aren’t my food.  But I don’t know what my food is.  I’m afraid I will starve.” 

Rosalie left the crocodile to ponder its situation.  Meanwhile she rubbed down the Owls to dry them off.  

An island

The Messenger Owl with the Little Owl on its back and the 10 volunteer Owls continued to fly.   They looked left, right, up and down hoping to see something that would give them direction to where the Little Owl’s parents might be.  

As they flew, they suddenly saw something suspended in the air in the distance.  It looked ominous but the Messenger Owl motioned for them to fly in the strange area.  As they came nearer, they could see it was a suspended island with clouds surrounding it.  The Messenger Owl approached the surrounding clouds to fly through, but the clouds were sticky like marshmallows.  Three of the volunteer Owls flew head first into the clouds and became covered with sticky goo.  They twisted and turned and struggled to free themselves.  The other Owls saw what was happening and used their sharp beaks to cut the Owls from the sticky, stringy mess.  

Once they were all free, the Owls continued to circle the island, looking for another opening when they spotted a hole in the ground that the island sat upon.   A gush of wind suddenly drew them in and forced them into the dark hole.  The Owls couldn’t see as they tumbled and scraped along the sides of the hole.  The Messenger Owl yelled to the Little Owl to hold on and not let go.   

Suddenly, they emerged from the hole and were on the other side of the clouds.  They saw a beautiful green island.  The Messenger Owl turned to see that the Little Owl was secure on its back.  The Little Owl sat wide-eyed in wonder.   The Owls continued to fly and saw luscious green trees, waterfalls and colorful flowers.  They landed by a water hole and gathered themselves.  They each took a long drink from the water to quench their thirst.  They realized they were extremely hungry and looked up to see that the trees had fruit hanging from them.  Each of the Owls flew  upward and grabbed a fruit from the tree.   They landed on the ground and used their beaks to break open the fruit to get to the inner juicy flesh.  They began to vigorously eat when suddenly one of the Owls who had brown and white feathers suddenly had feathers of all yellow.  A second who had similar brown and white feathers turned all green.  A third and fourth Owl turned blue and black colors.  Suddenly each of the 4 Owls had turned a plumage that was of a color different from their own.  

The Messenger Owl with the Little Owl on its back and the 6 other Owls had difficulty breaking open the fruit.  They were unable to eat any of the flesh of the fruit.  When they saw the other Owls turn colors, they began to fear that something strange was happening.  All of the Owls who had changed colors suddenly spread their wings in a menacing stance and began hissing.  They began to approach the Owls who had not eaten the  fruit.  Suddenly the colorful Owls flew aggressively toward the Owls who had not eaten the fruit with their claws forward ready to attack.  The Owls who had not eaten the fruit stood to defend themselves.  There was a terrible clash of feathers, beaks and claws.   

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Rosalie and Sensei flew in on the Horse’s back.  They beat back the aggressively colorful Owls and separted the colorful Owls from those who had not eaten the fruit.  Rosalie yelled out for the Owls who had not changed colors to follow her, the Horse and Sensei to the hole to escape the island.  The colorful Owls saw them escaping and began to fly toward the clouds to catch them on the other side, forgetting that the clouds were impenetrable.  As the colorful Owls flew into the clouds they were caught in a web of stickiness.   The untainted Owls, Rosalie, Sensei, and the Horse emerged from the hole and could hear the colorful Owls emitting terriflying shrieks at them as they flew off into the blue sky.  

Call to Arms

The Owls convened at the next meeting and they anxiously awaited for news from the messengers about the Little Owls’ parents.  Everyone became silent as the messengers entered the room.  The leader sat at the head of the table, his face was disturbed and fearful.  The Little Owl exclaimed “What, what have you found out about my parents?”  

The leader said, “We have been searching for your parents but have encountered so many hawks and we are fearful.” The Little Owl said “What are you fearful of?”  The leader said “We fear the hawks are looking for your parents too because they are the only ones to know where all of the secret clouds and doors exist to the homes of our Owl friends.”  The Little Owl cried in despair “Oh no.  Not that! Please, they cannot be taken by the hawks.  They’re my parents.”  

The messenger said “We need a group of Owls to be strong and fearless to bring your Mother and Father back to safety.”  The Little Owl exclaimed “I want to help!”.  The messenger said “You will only be a hindrance.  You need to stay here.”   The Little Owl said “No! I must come to save my parents”.  The messenger said “Then it will be so.”  

The messenger then addressed the group saying “Who will join us to save the Little Owls’ parents? “  Ten Owls stepped forward and said they were ready and willing to go.  The messenger sternly said to the Little Owl “You must stay on my back so I can protect you with my feathers and claws so nothing will harm you”.  The messenger then went to the door and said “Let us get ready to go.”  

The Ten Owls lined up behind the Messenger and the group suddenly flew off with one big whoosh of their wings.  They flew for a short time before they suddenly saw a hawk that began circling them, then a second, then a third hawk joined.  

The Owls were encircled.  

The Little Owl yelled to the hawks “Where’s my mother, where’s my father?”  The hawks only laughed and sneered.  One of the hawks began to fly closely to the Little Owl and showed its menacing beak.  The messenger Owl turned its claws and swiped the hawk’s face and ripped off his left eye.  The hawk gave a shriek and the group flew off.  

The Owls knew this was not the last of their encounters. 

A Request

The Owl says “My fellow feathered friends, we have much to do today.  We have to figure out who is on the agenda that we are supposed to help out as this our mission of work as we gather here.  Does anyone have any special need that they would like to present to the group?”. 

One Little Owl stood up from its chair with its big eyes and feathers hugging it closely around itself and said “I do” very softly.  The Owl said “Speak. Let us hear what you have to say, Little Owl”.  “It’s my mother and my father they are somewhere but I do not know where.  And I am all alone.  I don’t know where to go when I say I’m going to go home”. 

The other Owls wiped their tears with their feathered hands as they heard the little Owl speak.  The Owl said "This is not an easy thing to do for you because there are so many hidden places for Owls to go.  And we fear that your Mother and Father departed and went wherever they desired to go."  

The Little Owl looked down at its tiny claws.  It did not expect to hear such discouraging news as the Little Owl had held out hope that its parents were someplace close.  The Owl, seeing the Little Owl's disappointment continued to explain.  "We have some messengers that have knowledge of your parents and we expect them at our next meeting that will be held in a few days.  Little Owl be patient."

A Suspended Door

As they flew through the air they came across a beautiful white door suspended in the sky.  The Owl said to Rosalise, “Open the door.  Let us go through and see what’s on the other side.”  Rosalie opened the door and there suddenly appeared a beautiful table with ornate chairs around it.  

A huge banquet was prepared of various ethnic varieties.  She saw many owls laughing and singing.  Rosalie asked “What is this?”.  The Owl said “This is my home.  It’s my special cloud.  Each owl has its own home and unique cloud."  Rosalie asked “Where did they come from?”  The Owl said “They are from all over the world, from Pakistan, Italy, Israel,  Australia and many other places.”   The horse stood quietly and eyed the delicious food at the table.  

The Owl said “Let us sit with our friends and enjoy the meal prepared by very special chefs from all over the world.  Let us sit and talk with each other and enjoy the conversation and friendship.”  Rosalie, the horse and the Owl took their seats at the beautiful table.  The other Owls took their seats and the conversation quieted.  The Owl unfurled its wings and stood to address the group.      

Rosalie, the Owl and the Horse

Rosalie climbed on the Owl’s back. She said to the Owl, “Let’s go and see what there is for us to see around the world.”  

As they flew around the area of a strange city, Rosalie said, “Look, Look!  “That tower over there is leaning and it looks like it will fall on the ground where all the people are living.” The Owl said, “No. No.  The tower will not fall. It has been leaning for a long time. Let us go elsewhere to see other sites.” “Oh how exciting,” Rosalie said.  “Where shall we go to see spectacular things such as the Leaning Tower?” 

                

“Come along,” said the Owl.  “There is a special area I want to go with you.  It is very exciting.  Climb on my back and hang with all your strength.” Rosalie hung on the Owl’s back and away she flew with the Owl flapping his wings.

Slowly, slowly, the Owl started to drift downward and Rosalie saw a crowd of people yelling and screaming below her.  The Owl landed among them. The crowd did not even notice that the Owl and Rosalie were among them.  The crowd was roaring. Yelling “Go, Go, Go.” 

Rosalie lifted herself off the Owl, and went to the gate where the crowd was roaring. 

“Wow!” the crowd screamed. Rosalie looked towards the opening of the yard, and saw a bunch of horses trampling around the circular area. Every time the horses would pass where Rosalie and the Owl were, the crowd would yell, “Go! Go! Go! Go!” 

               

Rosalie was excited to see all the horses trying to get ahead of each other.  Finally, they came to a stop and the one white horse seemed to be cheered because it had succeeded to the gate first.  She was excited to be able to be there to see the winning horse and everyone cheered joyfully. 

The Owl said “if you get on my back, Rosalie, we could go and visit the white winner.”

Rosalie climbed on the Owl’s back.  The Owl flew to the white horse that had won the race.  He landed with Rosalie on the horse’s back.  The crowd cheered even more loudly. 

Then the Owl reached down to talk to the horse whispering in his ear, “Let’s go,” 

                

The white horse and the Owl with Rosalie on the Owl’s back flew away -- all three of them flew through the air with many cheers and gasps coming from the crowd.