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Jamie was such a happy girl. She and her parents lived on the edge of a great big forest. Her father was the forest’s protector... It was his job to make sure that no one cut down a single tree or harmed the many animals that called the forest their home. Jamie would go with her father on trips through the forest. It was such fun. There, she would see animals she had only seen drawings of in books. To her, even the little mouse was a wonder. Every time she went with her father, there was something new to see there. One time, Jamie was frightened by a strange sound from above. The mysterious sounds echoed through the dense forest as she and her dad walked along one of the paths that wove in and out of the trees that rose clear out of sight above her. “Whooo, whooo!” was the sound. Jamie held her daddy’s hand tighter as she looked deep into the canopy of trees. “Wha- wha- what is that daddy?” she asked, still afraid of the unfamiliar sound. “Why, it’s our old friend the owl,” he laughed. “He won’t hurt you. He is a very wise member of the forest family. Some even say he is magical.” Her dad pointed to a point far up on a tree limb. There, two glowing eyes gazed down on the forest floor below.
“See? There’s Mister Owl. He won’t hurt you, dear.
He has big eyes so he can see at night. He is the guardian of the Night Forest.
And night is just beginning to fall, so we must hurry home. We don’t want to be
here at night for it will be hard to find our way in the dark.”
* * * That night, Jamie thought about her day in the forest as she drifted off to sleep. There, in her mind, were those glowing eyes she had seen in the tree. They were like two large suns in a dark sky. Before she knew it, she found herself back in the forest. But this time she was alone. Jamie didn’t like the dark. And she certainly didn’t like the deep dark of the forest. She stumbled along the path in the darkness. Nothing looked familiar to her as she walked. She did not know which way her home was or if her father was looking for her. Not knowing which way to go, Jamie walked on. Farther into the forest. Farther and farther she went. She trembled in fear as she walked, stumbling over branches that had fallen onto the path in front of her. Suddenly, there came a noise from the darkness. She trembled in fear, not knowing what made the noise or where it came from. And then, she fell. Deep into a dark hole that had opened up before her in the path. It was not a long fall. She hit the bottom of the hole. She could see the sky above. But she could not climb out. The walls were far to steep. Then she heard the noise again. And again. It grew louder and louder. She was trapped. Before long, she could hear the sound of footsteps along the path. Daddy had found her, she thought. At last, he had come to rescue me from the darkness...
The footsteps came closer. Then stopped at the edge of the hole. “Daddy? I’m down here,” she said. A shadowy figure appeared. It wasn’t her daddy. It was a lion. A horribly hungry lion that was now looking down at her. She cowered in fear for she knew this was the end. She would be eaten by the horrible lion and never see her daddy again. And then, a strange thing happened. A most mysterious thing. As she waited to feel the jaws of the lion biting into her, she felt something on her face. It tickled a bit. She opened her eyes and reached out to find what was tickling her. It was a long rope. She held on to it as tight as she could. She felt herself being lifted up and up and up. Daddy had come to the rescue after all, she thought. Finally, she reached the top of the hole. As she stood up, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The rope wasn’t a rope at all. It was the tail of the lion. “Don’t be afraid,” she heard a voice say. The forest became lighter and she could now clearly see the path, the hole and the lion. It seemed as if it was suddenly day.
But the sun had not come up. The source of the light was the glowing eyes of the wise old owl. He was the one speaking to her. “Dear child, do not be afraid. He will not hurt you. I sent him here to help. He is the King of this Forest and I am his helper. I watch the forest all night long so that he can sleep. When I saw you fall in the hole, I awoke him so that he could set you free.” Jamie was confused. “But why didn’t he eat me?” “You are the daughter of the man who makes sure our forest is safe from outsiders. He protects our home. So we must return the favor and protect his little girl.” “I was so scared though. I didn’t know who it was. It was so dark and all I could see was his shadow. I thought he was going to eat me.” The owl laughed wisely. For he saw why the little girl was so frightened. After all, the forest was filled with dangerous beasts, including other lions that might pretend they were the King so they could prey on lost little girls. And with that he waved his wings above his head, which spun back and forth as he hooted and howled in a most magical way. His eyes glowed brighter than ever and filled the forest with light. It was so bright Jamie closed her eyes...
When she opened them the lion was blue. A magnificent, regal blue that almost glowed in the night. “From now on, you will know you are safe whenever you are lost. The Blue Lion will show you the way home and keep you safe no matter where you travel. His blue color will let you know that he is no ordinary creature of the forest. But your friend and companion, whenever you feel you are most in danger.” "But how will he know where to find me?" asked Jamie. "How is he going to know when I need him? How can I make sure he's always there to help me?" "The Blue Lion will always be there," said the owl, "because The Blue Lion is part of you now. Whenever you want the strength and courage of The Blue Lion, just think back to a time when you felt strong... ... a time when you felt courageous... ... a time when you felt unstoppable... ... and then hear these words in your head... or even say them out loud if you like..."
Now I am the voice.
She rose out of bed to tell her daddy about her strange dream. But it wasn’t a dream. For there on the floor were the footprints of a lion... glowing a soft blue in the darkness of the room, leading from her bed to the window, and forest, beyond. And beside her bed was a note. And on the note was written a magical incantation that began, "And now I am the voice..."
-Lexy Allen
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