BeF Competition Entry

[Farrah]

Noel wandered through a magnificent festival in awe. Banners hung from buildings, there were dances and the number three was everywhere. Anything you could buy was either three shaped or bought in threes; sometimes it was a mix of two; buy three number three cookies for the price of two, all that good stuff. Noel was rather swept away in all the excitement; the most exciting place he’d ever been to were the Christmas celebrations; nothing this crazy. Foxes of all kinds roamed the place, a gigantic celebration forest. It seemed like a big medieval village except for the obvious birthday theme. Somebody put a birthday hat on Noel as he passed by, nearing a tree. It was very young, a skinny thing, but its branches came out all at once at the top, spreading big, vibrant green leaves out a couple of feet. It was adorned with celebratory ribbons, and something struck him as familiar at last. The tree was adorned with ornaments – but only three.

Noel was currently trying to find some of his other friends – they were people he’d been around a lot. But he couldn’t seem to find anyone from his Christmas. He almost thought he spotted someone he knew when suddenly he ran straight into someone else. Looking at the fox in surprise, Noel reddened.

“I’m so sorry; I totally wasn’t paying attention!” he said, but the other fox hardly seemed to be listening, only bending down to pick up feathers that had fallen – the fox was wearing them. Noel helped him, and then tried apologizing again, but the fox seemed to not want his apologies, and walked away. The Christmas fox could only think about the multitudes of feathers that the other one had worn.

After a while, all the foxes gathered around the tree and sung birthday songs in an ancient language that no human could even begin to understand, with the feathered one leading them all.

Noel saw a fox walk out of the circle – a white one with magnificent antlers. He vaguely recognized the other fox, but wondered why he was walking out to a spot that was clear from grass. The antlered fox waited, and then a brilliant flash of light forced Noel to turn away. The foxes had all noticed now and looked to see what had happened.

In the clearing, a god-like creature stood. It was a weasel, but it had two pairs of wings and eyes that shone like lights. Its wings were brilliant colors of green and blue, and the tail was adorned with golden markings that almost looked like writing. The antlered deer nonchalantly walked with it and it seemed that they talked a little bit, but then it came near.

“The third celebration of our existence…Yet I see it will extend much further.” The weasel spoke, with a voice both powerful and strangely soft. The foxes watched as it approached the tree, and the feathered one watched cautiously as the weasel put a paw on the tree.

Noel abruptly saw something – a vision. He was old, very old in this vision, returning on ancient paws to a celebration – he didn’t see the birthday number. In this one, he immediately went to the tree, which was enormous, thick as a redwood but a little shorter. One thing he could clearly see were all the ornaments – hundreds of ornaments, enough to adorn every branch again and again…the thriving of the Bat-eared Foxes.

Noel blinked, and the world changed. The four-winged weasel was walking away, and the tree was laced with silvery markings that matched the weasel’s golden ones. Without thinking, the wreathed fox bounded after the weasel.

“Wait!” he called, and the weasel stopped, along with the antlered fox. “What’s your name?”
The weasel looked surprised.

“My name?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to know.” Noel said hesitantly. For a moment the colorful weasel didn’t speak, but then he smiled.

“My name is Zelus.” He said, and when Noel blinked, he had disappeared.

“He’ll be back.” The white fox said to Noel, who jumped. “But he’s met many people and seen many things – the time has come for him to decide where to go.”

Where will you go? Noel wondered.

[Farrah]

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