Page 10 of The Beauty and the Griffin

When I reached the rose garden, other guests were strolling along its paths, perched on benches, or even seated on the velvety lawn. I casually brushed one hand along the tall box hedges, keeping my eyes peeled for a cinder sprite. I’d never told a soul, not even Auntie Bella, about my adventures that day more than half my lifetime ago. Sometimes I knew it had really happened. Other times, I believed I must have dreamed it all.

But magic was undeniable at Faraway Castle, and it welcomed me every single moment. When I was little, I’d never noticed that computers and cellphones didn’t work at the resort. Eddi complained about it, but I enjoyed the change: people here actually talked to each other. Well, except me. As a nanny I was pretty much invisible to other humans.

My free hour was quickly passing with no sign of an arbor gate covered with roses. I longed to see a cinder sprite. Starfire had led me from this garden into Othniel’s. Had he opened a magical gate to me? WherewasOthniel’s garden?

After so many years, I couldn’t help wondering if I’d dreamed the whole adventure . . .

“Starfire?” I called softly, peering into the hedges. “Can you hear me?”

All at once, a magic I vividly remembered surrounded me, its presence so dreamlike that time seemed to stop. “Starfire isn’t here today.”

The deep voice was just as kind as I’d remembered. And as unearthly, but I didn’t care about that. Warmth and excitement filled my face and heart. “H-hello,” I managed to squeak. “IknewI didn’t imagine you!”

“It’s good to see you again.”

My mind whirling, I blurted, “I still can’t see you. What’s your name?”

“Here at Faraway Castle, I am called the Gamekeeper.”

I had heard of the Gamekeeper. Maybe from Auntie? I knew he was particularly important, even essential to the resort. Now I realized that it was the Gamekeeper’s magic underlying everything around me.

“Thank you for remembering me, Beatrice.” He spoke gently, yet his voice reverberated with power. Good power, but almost overwhelming.

My heart pounded. “Sometimes I’ve worried that I dreamed up you and Starfire and Comet and their babies and Othniel,” I babbled. “But if you’re real, all the rest must have been real too.”

“It was.”

I swallowed hard, tingling with excitement. “Do you think I might be able to get back into that other garden?” I paused uncertainly, then blurted, “It’s been eight years. I’ve been waiting more than half my life!”

“Will you walk with me and tell me what you remember about your adventure?”

My chest felt tight with disappointment. He’d avoided my question, and in my experience, that meant “no.” Even so, I welcomed the chance to talk about my magical adventure to someone who wouldn’t tell me it was imaginary. Someone who believed me. Even if he was invisible, he felt real, and I knew when he fell into step beside me as I resumed walking alongside the hedge.

I told him everything I remembered about that long-ago day, from following Starfire to meeting Bo, the water monster. But somehow, when I put my treasured memories into words, they didn’t sound quite real anymore.

I looked up at where I thought the Gamekeeper’s face might be and heaved a quivering sigh. “As you know, I can’t get back into that garden, and I haven’t seen a cinder sprite since then. Do you believe me? Or was it all just a dream?”

“Certainly, I believe you.”

Something in his voice revived my confidence and hope. “Really? Do you know where Othniel is?”

“I cannot say.”

He sounded genuinely regretful, and my hope withered. “Will you disappear too?”

“Yes, but whenever you call me during your visit, I will come if I am able. And . . . I’ll see what I can do about cinder sprites.”

Just like that, he was gone.

But I had a feeling my life was about to get much better.

Arabella

“We did it!” I danced a little jig on the cold rock floor. “She’ll be here for three full weeks, and she’s already spoken with you-know-who!”

“I do hope you haven’t forgotten whose idea this was.”

“Considering your frequent reminders, forgetting that detail would require a powerful spell to achieve.”

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