When the stars were still twinkling in the early morning sky, there was a knock at the front door. Lucanora crept to the top of the stairs and peeked down. Their dad opened the door and there stood Merlin the wizard, just like he had promised. Good morning my dear friends. I do hope you've all rested well because we have much work to do. So the whole family gathered in the living room, Mom, Dad, Luc, Nora, and Ollie, who was wagging his tail and trotting around like a perfectly normal dog again. Or so they thought. Merlin stroked his long beard and looked very serious. So you see, when your mother kissed Ollie the dragon, the magic didn't simply disappear. It moved. Moved, said Nora, moved where? To your mother, Merlin said, pointing right at their mom. And everyone slowly turned and looked at Mom. Dad cleared his throat. Well, funny you should mention that because I barely slept a wink last night. Your mom kept talking in her sleep, but she wasn't speaking in English. It sounded like she was making animal noises all night. And just then, Mom opened her mouth to say something, but instead of words, out came a long piercing screech. Just like an eagle. Luc and Nora jumped back. Mom? What was that? Mom looked just as surprised as they were. Oh, yeah, goodness gracious me, my, my, my, uh, uh, uh, how could this ever happen? How me, oh, my, what? Dad and Luc and Nora all said, oh, my apologies. I must work on that. So the magic is already spreading. We must act very quickly or I'm afraid things are going to get much, much worse. Well, what do we do? Luc asked in Merlin held up one finger. There is only one thing that can break this spell deep in the forest under the light of the full moon. There grows a flower called the moon blossom. One single drop of its nectar will undo the magic forever. But we must go and find it tonight. Tonight, said Nora in the dark in the forest. Oh, please do not worry, sister. Set a voice from down near their feet. I'll protect you. Everyone looked down. It was Ollie. Ollie had just talked again. Wait a minute. I said, Luke, how are you still talking, Ollie? I thought the spell was broken. Merlin let out a little chuckle. Ah, yes, it appears some of the magic stuck to him as well. I believe your dog will be speaking from now on. So you'll never have to wonder what all of that barking is about ever again. Ollie wagged his tail and just for the record, most of the time, I was just asking for a treat. Luke and Nora laughed and even dad cracked a smile. And so the family packed up some flashlights and a few snacks and a cozy blanket. And they followed Merlin into the woods as the sun began to go down. And Ollie led the way, nose to the ground with his tail wagging. And the deeper they walked into the forest, the stranger things started to get. We saw glowing bugs drifting through the trees like tiny floating stars. They heard sounds they had never heard before. Rustling leaves and whispers and low rumbling hums coming from somewhere in the dark. And then all of a sudden they heard a loud pop behind them. They spun around. Then where mom had been standing, there was now a giant golden eagle. Oh my, said Merlin with his eyes growing wide. This is very bad. Very very bad indeed. We must find that moon blossom at once or your mother will be stuck like this forever. Dad stared at the eagle and the eagle stared back at him. And then dad said very quietly, honey, is that you in there? And the eagle let out a soft little chirp. Okay, said dad, let's go find that flower. They kept moving through the forest until they came to a rickety old wooden bridge stretching over a wide misty river. And standing right in the middle of it was a very large, very grumpy looking troll. What are you doing in my woods? Said the troll. No one crosses this bridge unless they can answer my riddle. Merlin bowed politely. Very well. Go ahead then. The troll cleared his throat and stood up as tall as he could. All right, here's my riddle. What has hands but can't clap? The whole family huddled together and whispered to each other for a moment. And then Luke looked up and said, is it a clock? The troll blinked again. That is correct. As he was looking very defeated. How does everyone always know the answer to that? I spent three whole weeks coming up with that riddle. Fine. You may cross. And so they crossed the bridge with Ollie prancing happily at the front like he had solved the riddle himself. And finally they came to a wide clearing in the trees. And there, right in the center, bathed in a beam of silver moonlight, was a single flower. It shimmered like it was made of starlight. Ah, it's the moon blossom, said Merlin. But just as they stepped forward, a great shadow swept across the clearing and a huge owl swooped down from the trees and landed right in front of the flower. Ah, who dares come for the moon blossom? The owl hooded, staring at them with big, serious eyes. Merlin stepped forward gently. Please, dear friend, this family needs it desperately. Their mother has been struck by an old spell and without that flower, she will remain a golden eagle forever. The owl tilted his head slowly. Ah, well, I know what that's like. I was a human once. Many many years ago, I found myself in this very same forest and I wasn't quite quick enough to find the moon blossom in time myself and look at me now, here I am. He ruffled his feathers sadly. Well, if you truly need this, then you must leave something behind. Something for the forest. Something given from your heart. The family looked at each other and then Nora reached up and unclasped the little silver necklace she wore, the one with a tiny star charm on it that she had gotten for her birthday. She walked forward slowly and held it out toward the owl. This is my favorite necklace, she said, but I want you to have it so the forest will remember that we were here and that you helped us. The owl looked at her for a long moment and then he reached out gently with his beak and took it. Well, I'll write that. You can have the moon blossom. And Merlin carefully gathered the flower and then they rushed back to where the golden eagle was waiting, dad standing right next to her holding her wing. And Merlin let a single drop of the flower's nectar fall onto the eagle's beak. And for a moment, nothing happened. And then a slow, silvery glow began to swirl around the eagle, growing brighter and brighter until poof. In a shimmer of light, mom was standing right there again, looking completely normal. Oh my goodness, she said, patting her arms and her face like she was making sure everything was in the right place. I feel like myself again. I feel wonderful. And everyone cheered. Dad gave her a huge hug and Luke and Nora piled on and Ollie got the zoomies and ran around them in circles. Well, yeah, yeah, she's back again. She's back. Can we celebrate with a treat? Merlin smiled and picked up his wand. Well, then he said, I believe my work here is done. And Merlin tipped his hat and walked back into the woods, disappearing between the trees. And on the walk home, Nora reached down and scratched Ollie behind his ears. Hey, Ollie, she said, are you OK, you know, with everything that happened? And Ollie looked up at her and wagged his tail. Are you kidding me? I'm a dog who can talk. I'm living the dream. And from that day on, life in their house went back to normal. Or as normal as it could be with a talking dog in the family. And every now and then, on the nights when there was a full moon, mom would step outside, stretch her arms wide, and just for a little while, two golden wings would appear. And she would take Luke and Nora soaring high above the rooftops and the treetops, all the way up into the glittering night sky. And if you ever find yourself walking through the woods and if you happen to trip over something small and wooden, it kind of looks like a magical wand. Well, you might just want to leave it right where it is. Or then again, maybe you won't. Hey there, Storyland fans. If you've been enjoying the podcast, I've got some great news. Right now you can find the Storyland Collection Volume 2 Enchanted Journeys and Hidden Treasures. That's right, now you can pick up both Volume 1 and Volume 2 and experience all the stories in their true chronological order professionally remastered for the best listening experience. You can find them on audiobooks.com, the Spotify audiobooks marketplace, Apple Books, Hoopla, Google Play, and Audible. Just search for Storyland, all one word, and you'll find them there. And if you're looking for even more magic, don't forget about Luke and the Magical Marker, my illustrated book that's also available on Amazon. It's the perfect read for kids who love creativity and adventure. And finally, if you've been enjoying the podcast, I would love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It is so much fun to read what listeners have to say about the show and it helps the Storyland podcast grow. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you again in the next adventure.
