The Children of Night and Day

Have you wondered who raises the sun? Or who puts it out? Who wakes the moon and puts it to sleep? Who freezes the water and covers the land in snow? Who thaws the ice and snow and warms us? We have come to believe that the rising of the sun and moon is simply a matter of science. Is this true? The tale I am about to tell you shows that there is much more to the story.

Jacob McKay was a quiet man, but he was short-tempered. He had a magnificent fiery red beard, bushy eyebrows, and a rosy cheeks. He did not seem secretive at all, but he had something he had never told to anyone, except his wife. Jacob McKay rose the sun. He woke from its sleep, and put it to bed. It was never a matter of science. It was as simple as rocking a child to sleep. His wife, Lucinda, was responsible for waking the moon and putting it to bed, just as her husband was responsible for the sun. Lucinda was calm and patient, unlike her husband, and had flowing black hair. She was tall and slender and she seemed quit fragile. These people are important characters, you see, but this story is not about them. It is about their children.

As you might of guessed, the children of night and day were no ordinary children. Marie and Hal McKay looked absolutely different from each other, and they were. Marie was a loud, impatient freckle-faced, red-headed girl. She always wore her scarlet hair in braids and was very social. her eyes were a emerald green, bright and playful. Hal, on the other hand, was quite, laid-back, relaxed and calm.His skin was pale and instead of red hair, he had dark black hair and his eyes were an icy blue. He was a very serious person. They seemed like ordinary children, but they were quite the opposite. you see, Marie was responsible for summer, thawing ice and making sure that the plants were growing. Hal was responsible for making the land snowy, covering ever inch of water with ice. He was responsible for winter. So, despite their differences, Marie and Hal must make harmony together.

Marie woke up like she would on any normal day. Except, this was no ordinary morning. she usually woke up before her father rose the sun so she could watch him do it. But on this particular day (was it just by coincidence?) she woke up at eight. She realized she would be late for school so she opened the curtains to let in some light, but what she saw puzzled her. It was still dark out.

Shouldn't the sun be out now? She rubbed her eyes, to see if she was seeing things, but the dark blanket of stars remained. Marie went across the hall to her brother's room and knocked on his door. When she didn't answer she came in. She shook Hal awake. "Hal? Hal? Wake up!"

Hal sat up, bleary-eyed and confused. "Huh?" he said, confused.

"Hal, Have you looked outside? It's absolutely insane!" said Marie.

Hal peered through his curtains. " Shouldn't the sun be out? It's eight in the morning and nowhere near winter!" said Hal obviously still tired (you see, Jacob got a bit lazy during winter).

" I know," said Marie. " What do you think is happening?"

Hal looked thoughtful. He was just as confused as Marie was, but he thought that there had to be a logical exclamation to this. " Maybe dad forgot." He said.

"He never forgets!" exclaimed Marie. "C'mon, let's go." So Marie sprinted down the stairs, her brother trailing behind. "Mom! Dad? Are you there?" Marie heard no response.

Hal scanned the kitchen for any sign of their parents. Something caught his eye on the counter. He walked towards it. He picked up a crumpled piece of paper. "Hey, sis look at this." Marie walked over to him and he read,

"To the children of Jacob and Lucinda McKay,
Good day children. I am not sure if you know me, but I know you. Your parents are being held ransom in my palace. If you have any sense, you will stay at home. Although, I expect you to come to my palace. If you seek help from any of your friends, than you are out of luck. Everyone is permanently asleep, thanks to my secret concoction. I will warn you, do not try to save your parents.
Good day,
Phillip J. Nightmare"

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh," said Marie. She was obviously flustered. "They've got mom and dad!" The two sat quietly trying to but piece and piece together but the were to confused. Why would someone kidnap two people and leave a ransom note telling everything except why he kidnapped them in the first place? " We have to go after them," said Marie, after she pulled herself together.

"What? No! He'll expect that! We can't just barge in all willy-nilly and-" Marie held up a finger to silence her brother.

"Well do you have any other ideas?" she said.

Hal let out an exasperated sigh. When his sister was determined about something, there was no turning her around.

"Okay," he sighed. "I'll come, but I guarantee that this will get us killed. We don't even know were this 'palace' is. Or who the heck this Mr. Nightmare is."

Marie frowned," I think I have an idea," she looked thoughtful. " I think I know were we can get information on this Nightmare guy."

The McKays had a rather large collection of books. In fact, the had a whole room chock-full of them. You could call it a library, I guess, but you see that it was no ordinary library. It was a rather an odd collection of books. Books that could never be found in your local bookstore, or anywhere for the matter. Books with enchanting stories and dangerous experiments. Books with cures to foreign diseases, books with mythical creatures, and great wizards.

Marie figured that if they could find these information in these books, then she could probably find information on Phillip F. Nightmare. She ran up to the room of books. It was nothing elaborate. Just a room with shelves and shelves of scrolls, novels, and books. Seeing all the books made her heart sink. Marie had forgotten how big the variety of books had gotten. There had to be thousands of them. Finding any information on Phillip F. Nightmare, even a little scrap, would prove to be an arduous task.

"Well, better get started then," sighed Hal. The amount of books was so immense, that he doubted that he would ever be able to read them all in a lifetime.

Marie began skimming through books and Hal did the same. They looked for what seemed hours until Hal beckoned Marie over.

"Hey, look at this," He said. "I think I found something."

Marie was a little frustrated. How come he found everything before she did. She let out a little sigh and walked over."What are you reading?" she asked.

"'Dream Makers of 1934'." answered Hal. "Do you know what a dream maker is?"

Marie shook her head."I have no idea," she said. "What did you find on Phillip F. Nightmare?"

Hal pointed to a page. It read:

Phillip Fray Nightmare - Dream Maker

Born Feb. 21, 1795

Worked for 6 years

"He was a dream maker?" said Marie.

Hal nodded."Do you think dream makers are people who, you know, make dreams?"

Marie shrugged."Maybe. Wait a sec. This guy was born years ago, how could he still be alive?" She felt confused.

"Dad said that people like him lived much longer than normal people. Maybe it's the same for dream makers," Hal pointed out.

Marie had to admit that it sounded logical. "Maybe there are people out there, like mom and dad, like... like... us," she said. Their powers were rarely discussed, and when they were, it felt awkward.

They sat in silence for a minute and soon Hal said, "So. What next?"

Marie said boldly,"We need to find a map. One that leads to the palace."

Hal always thought his sister was a leader. People always listened to her. She was stern. She took charge. If he ever tried that he would never be able to handle it.

Hal and Marie searched their father's office for anything. They searched everywhere, on the bookcase, on his computer, and even on the walls. Hal was going to give up when he heard Marie call from under the desk.

"Hey! Look at this!" she called." I found a map!" Hal dashed over and slipped under the desk. He saw that Marie was correct. There was a map under the desk, clearly carved. It was a rather plain map, but it lead to a dark palace, resting on jagged cliffs. It was the map to Nightmare's palace.

"Why would dad have a map to Nightmare's palace?" said Hal. " I mean, he obviously knew the guy, but why would he want to go to his palace?"

Marie looked thoughtful."I don't think he knew. Maybe it was meant for us."

Hal looked doubtful." That's a very farfetched theory."

Marie punched him playfully. "C'mon. Don't talk like that," she said. " If we're going to have an adventure, this sounds perfect!"

Hal grumbled," How can you be so bright about this? Mom and dad are kidnapped and possibly facing a horrible death, and you want to have and adventure? Really?I mean, obviously this Nightmare guy doesn't want us at his place! Besides, he's expecting us! I'm only coming because I wanna help mom and dad! How is this an adventure?"

Marie was taken aback by her brother's outburst. He was usually so calm about things. Marie was aware that the situation was severe, but all she wanted to do was have a little fun. Was that so bad? Marie looked at a red- faced Hal and said with a shaky breath,"I'm sorry. I only wanted to have a little fun. Mom and dad are captured and I'm thinking that saving them will be an adventure. I guess I didn't realize how bad this problem is."

Hal's icy eyes softened. "Sorry about what happened."he said, "I think I went into full yell-at-your-sister mode."

Marie laughed. "Come on. We got mom and dad to save."

Chapter 2

Jacob stood solemnly behind the bars of his cell. Phillip had stripped him of his powers to raise the sun and his wife's powers were gone, too. Without his power to wake the sun, it would remain night.

"Hello, Jacob. Why you seem to be in a pleasant mood."

Jacob turned around and was surprised to see his old adversary sitting in an upright position on his poorly made bed. Phillip bore dark, ostentatious raiment and wore a smug expression on his face. Anyone could have mistaken him as royalty, for he looked quite regal in his dark robes.

Jacob eyed him suspiciously and said," I see you're still dressing your best, Phillip. Why did you bring me here? What are you planning?"

Phillip laughed coldly, but his black, snake-like eyes showed nothing to signify laughter. "Why, Jacob. What do you think? What have I always wanted to do? You know I was a dream maker. A dream maker that couldn't make any good dreams, only horrible ones. The dream maker that made children cry when his dreams were delivered." Phillip paused."You see Jacob, my dreams weren't dreams at all," he said."They were nightmares. I took you and your wife at night, because nightmares, like dreams, can only be delivered at night. You see, Jacob, as we speak, my Dark owls are spreading nightmares everywhere. Oh, they are most horrific. Horrible! Soon, nightmares will evolve into what I call darkness, and soon I will be able to take over the world, human and mythical alike!"

Jacob growled. He wanted to punch Phillip, but he couldn't move. What would happen to both worlds if Phillip succeeded?


Chapter 3

Hal and Marie mad sure they had everything they needed before they took off. Their only transportation was their bikes, so the journey would be arduous. Marie studied the picture of the map on her phone. She realized that she didn't know any of the places at all. There were mountains called the Jedwakwas Peaks and a river called the Merlin River. She had not heard of either. She called Hal over. He looked at it and a look of confusion paced his face." What the heck? The Jedwakwas Peaks? The Garden of the Three Witches? This is definitely not from this world!" he said.

"No, it's not." the two siblings jumped at the sound of the voice. The looked in the direction of the voice. The owner of the voice was a figure in a plum colored cloak. He was stalky and thin and seemed badly injured."The map is not from this world, and neither is Phillip," said the stranger."Your parents are not from this world, either." The stranger had a kind voice, but it sounded like the man was hurt." Marie was scared. Who was this stranger? How did he know about Phillip? Or the map? He might have known their parents, but it seemed unlikely.

"Who are you?" asked Hal. The stranger let down the hood of his cloak. Marie gasped. The man had dark hair and green eyes and his left cheek was badly scarred. His left leg seemed sprained.

"I am the Seer of Podulum. I am here to help you," said the Seer. "I foresaw you two children going after your parents. It is a dangerous journey for two children, so I will accompany you on your journey."

Once the two siblings got over their shock, Hal said," Mr. Seer, uhh, if..if I can call you that, what world is the map from if it's not from here? Oh, uhhhhhh, I..I don't mean to be rude, but where did you get those scars? Also, Phillip isn't..isn't from this world? Neither are our pa..parents?" Marie felt sorry for her brother.t He was obviously overwhelmed. He stuttered when he was overwhelmed.

The Seer smiled. He said,"You may call me whatever you wish. My scars are from passing the portal that links this world to the mythical world. Whatever part of your body enters the portal first gets a minor injury. In my case, a few scars on my cheek and a sprained ankle. Your parents and Phillip are from the mythical world, so you two actually belong in that world, but you were born here so you belong to the human world, even though you're not human."

Hal felt dizzy. This was hard to take in all at once. There was another world? A world where their parents were from and being held captive in? How could they belong to the human world if they were not human?

"If we are not human," asked Hal, "then what are we? Also, why does Phillip want our parents?"

The Seer looked at Hal as if he expected him to know the answer.Then he answered, "You are wizards, and so are your parents, and their parents before them. Wizards are capable of doing things that seem magic. Like,say, being able to make it snow or making plants grow at the wave of a hand. You see you are not humans, you are wizards. Phillip wants your parents for whatever reason. Phillip's palace is shielded from my sight, but I think I have an idea of what he wants. You see, before your father was able to raise the sun, he was a dream maker. Jacob worked with Phillip. They were always fighting over who made better dreams. Phillip didn't make dreams at all, you see. I guess they were just ordinary dreams, just scary ones. He named them after himself: Nightmares. He thought that his nightmares were amazing. Phillip realized that everyone loved Jacob's dreams. They were always so lovely and wonderful to have. Phillip was always very jealous of Jacob, so he experimented with his nightmares. Phillip discovered that if a nightmare stayed in a child's head long enough then it would evolve into something horrible that consumed everything that tried to stop it. He is probably trying to deliver his nightmares. He took your parents at night because nightmares and dreams can only be delivered at night."

Marie was flustered. So she just said," So, how do we get to this mythical world?"

Chapter 4

The Seer led them inside the house and into their father's study. He placed a hand on a book on their father's desk and said something the two siblings could not understand. The book spun. It spun so fast that it was just a blur. Then it split open and twirled into a black hole. The portal was open. The Seer told the two siblings,to get their bikes.

Once the Hal and Marie got their bikes, the Seer went first then Marie, then Hal.

Hal put his right foot in first, and then stepped in. A searing pain shot up his right leg. The portal was pitch black. Hal felt like he was floating. Then, he felt himself rolling onto the floor of another room. He saw Marie's left arm was covered in scratches and Seer's elbow was bruised. Hal checked his right leg and saw It was scarred. He could still walk and he would be able to bike, but it would be a little painful. He looked around and realized he was in an office that was very similar to his father's except, where the bookshelf would be, there was a pedestal with a golden sculpture of the sun. It was a magnificent piece of art, much like the real sun, golden and bright. In the middle of the sculpture, There were the words:

Given to

Mr. Jacob R. McKay

To celebrate the 100th year Anniversary

Of The Raising of The Sun

"Come over here," said the Seer as he beckoned Hal and Marie over to the door. The Seer led them through the house that resembled Hal and Marie's house, and went outside.

"Whoa," said Marie. "That's a lot of water." They were on an island in the middle of the ocean. It was very small, only large enough to fit the house.

The Seer glanced around. He said,"Hal, step on the water and go out as far as you can."

Hal was very puzzled. How could he "step" on the water when it was liquid? Nevertheless, Hal placed a foot on the murky water. To his surprise, it immediately turned to ice."Whoa," Hal said. that had never happened when he to a bath."How did I do that? this never happens when I wash my hands."

The Seer, of course, had the answer." I believe that whenever you use water at home, your parents make sure that the water you are using is warm enough so you won't freeze it. I don't believe you've ever gone swimming?"

Hal shook his head and said,"Well that explains a lot." So Hal stepped forward, leading the group, the Seer came up behind him, and Marie was trailing behind the Seer. Marie was last because the ice thawed after she stepped on it. Amazingly, the ice was strong enough to hold two children, a grown man, and two mountain bikes.

When they finally got to land, the Seer pointed and said,"Do see that cottage? That's my cottage. Go over there and I'll follow you."

Marie turned to where the Seer was pointing at. In the distance, Marie could make out a small house. It was a fair distance away. She said,"Okay, but me and Hal are pretty fast on our bikes. Are you sure you can catch up?"

The Seer smirked and said," Yes I'm sure. There are some things you don't know about me yet."

So Hal and Marie took off. When they were a few meters from the hut, A dark, winged shadow flew over their heads and they made it to the hut just in time to see the Seer land gracefully on the ground with his feathered wings spread out.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Marie."You can fly!"

Seer smiled and said," Yes I can. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I love to surprise people. I hope you don't mind."

Hal was flabbergasted. He had never seen anyone fly before!

The Seer saw that Hal's face was aghast and chuckled. "Don't look so surprised. Many of the inhabitants of this world can fly and they may consider it rude if you stare."

Hal nodded and shut his mouth, but his eyes were still bugged out. He stared at the Seer's majestic wings. He wondered how the Seer could control those beautiful wings.

Seer led Marie and Hal into his cottage. It was a cozy little home. There was a red carpet on the floor and a handsome armchair by the fireplace. The Seer beckoned the two siblings over to a small room. "This will be your room for the night," said the Seer.

Marie looked around the room. There were two small beds and an even smaller dresser. That was pretty much all of what was in the room.

"I'm sorry for the lack of space. My magic has its limits," said the Seer. He looked a bit sheepish.

Hal said," Wait. Slow down. You mean you made this room? Like made with magic and all that stuff?"

The Seer looked confused. "Of course. How else would I have made it? Anyway, making a whole new room in my house really drains my energy. In fact, I'm still a little tired. I am going to bed. Good night." The Seer went down the hall and disappeared behind a door.

Marie was so tired that she fell asleep before her head hit her pillow.

Hal, on the other hand, was restless. He was still confused from the events that had occurred earlier that day. It was a lot to take in. Hal wondered how he would be able to save his parents. This seemed like an impossible task to him. Hal sighed. He would never be able to pull this off. Hal sighed again and soon he was asleep.

Chapter 5

Marie yawned and stretched her arms. She stumbled out of bed, looked around the room and almost forgot were she was. She made her way to the kitchen where the Seer was reading a book called "Ifrnal: Our First Native Language."

The Seer was so engrossed in his book that he didn't see Marie. Then he looked up, surprised, and said, "Hello Marie. What would you like to eat?"

Marie mumbled,"Toast, please." Immediately, warm toast with raspberry preserves appeared on the table. Suddenly, any feeling of grogginess was replaced by curiosity. "How did you do that?" she asked.

The Seer smiled and answered," Well, I am magic and magic things can usually do magic."

The Seer looked up and saw Hal in the doorway. His eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles under them. He obviously had a rough night. The Seer asked Hal what he wanted for breakfast. Hal said he wanted cereal and soon a bowl appeared on the table.

Hal did not seem as curious about Cap'n Crunch cereal appearing from thin air as his sister was. This, Marie realized, was absolutely unlike Hal. Hal's thoughts were obviously elsewhere. Marie chatted with Seer, but Hal ate his cereal quietly.

After breakfast, the Seer said," We do not want Phillip to find you two. Your outfits will attract attention and some of Phillips dark owls may see that you do not belong here."

The Seer waved his hand and two outfits appeared. One was a green dress with turned in cuffs and white lace. It came with a matching green hat with a long feather and white gloves and green shoes. The other outfit was a blue vest and black leggings and shoes with big buckles.

"Were supposed to were those?!" shrieked Marie. Marie let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed the dress. She came out of the room and said,"What century is this?" She was struggling to walk in her green high-heels. She pulled on her gloves. Hal snickered.

"Okay, Hal, your turn," said the Seer.

Hal stopped snickering. "Oh well," he sighed as he went into the bedroom. A few minuets later, he stepped out. Hal looked down at his shoes. "These make me look like a pilgrim," he grumbled.

The Seer smiled. "I'm afraid there's more. Your hair will have to be changed, too."

He waved his hand before Marie could stop him. Marie shut her eyes. Her hair felt heavier. She opened her eyes and saw her hair was braided intricately and it reached her ankles. "Now I know what Rapunzel felt." she moaned. Marie looked at her brother his hair was considerably longer. Not as bad as her hair.

"Whoa," said Hal. He had noticed her hair."Extreme makeover."

Marie nodded sadly."This stinks," she said to Seer. "Do all girls wear their hair like this?"

The Seer nodded and asked,"Would you rather be taken by Phillip as your parents are?"

Marie shrugged."Anything's better than this hair. It's weighing me down," she complained.

Marie glanced at Hal. She was expecting Hal to complain about his shoes our something, but all he did was stare off. Marie clapped in front of his face. He didn't answer. Marie was confused. Hal wasn't usually this quiet. Marie said to Hal,"Hal you've been so quiet this morning."

The Seer nodded."Is something on your mind?" he asked.

Hal looked at Marie and Seer. He took a deep breath and said," I just don't think I'm cut out for this kind of stuff. You know, like, saving mom and dad."

Marie smiled. She said to Hal,"Hal, You can freeze water! You can create snow! All I can do is make plants grow! If you can do those things, Who knows what other great things you can do?" Marie saw that Hal smiled a little.

"Well, thanks for the pep talk, Coach," said Hal.

Marie's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you'll come?"

Hal nodded. "If you keep talking to me like that, I don't think I have a choice."

The Seer chuckled. "Come now, I want you to meet a friend of mine," he said.

The Seer led them through the woods that he called "The Whispering Wood." He said it was called The Whispering Wood because, even if there was no breeze, something made the leaves rustle making it seem like a whisper.

Marie saw that this was true. It was a sunny day, so there was no breeze. Yet, the whole wood seemed to be whispering to each other. Marie was enchanted by the woods. It all seemed so beautiful, so mysterious. Soon, they came to a small, colorful town called Podulum.

"Come with me," said the Seer.

Chapter 6

Hal and Marie walked past a blue-and-red house with stained glass windows and a tall roof. The streets were rainbow-colored and shop keepers called out what they were selling. "Come and get your transpo-sphere!" said a lady with hair similar to Marie's but braided even more intricately. She held a silver sphere.

"Love potion! Become irresistible to anyone!" called out a man.

Hal wanted to look at everything. He wanted to see all the different houses and sit by the fountain squirting multi-colored water, but the Seer kept pushing them along.

They came to a squat, purple building. The sign read:Danny's Bar. Seer pushed the door open and went inside. Marie and Hal followed. The place was filled with men. They wore they same thing as Hal. All of the men were big and burly. The Seer strolled casually through the crowd of men He walked up to the man at the bar.

Hal nearly screamed. The man's face seemed to be stretched out. He wore an eyepatch. His beard was filled with crumbs of food.

"Dan, It's me. We need some help," said the Seer.

Dan grunted. " S, is that you? What's the girlie doing here, eh?" said Dan. He looked at Marie with his one good eye. Marie held his gaze. She wasn't intimidated by Dan at all. "Hmph," said Dan.

"Dan, the girl is Marie McKay." Dan slapped the counter. "Ha! So your tellin' me that the girl's Jacob's daughter? So that boy's supposed to be Hal?" He pointed to Hal. "Now that's rubbish! Ha! Marie and Hal Mckay!" Then Dan saw Seer's expression. Seer's face was dead-serious. The color drained from Dan's face."You're not kidding,"

"Dan," the Seer said firmly. "Take us upstairs."

Dannrous led them up a winding staircase. Soon, Hal found himself in a dimly lit room. It had a musty smell and cobwebs hung in the corners. "If you truly are the children of night and day, you must prove yourselves," said Dan. He held out a locket. It glinted evilly. The locket seemed alive in some way, yet, it seemed dead. "This locket represents death," said Dan. He seemed hesitant. He glanced back at Seer. Seer nodded. Dan continued. "To prove you have Wasnsin and Enarous within you-"

Hal interrupted,"Wait, wait, wait. Who the heck is 'Wasnsin and Enarous?' I am totally, totally confused."

Dan seemed annoyed. "Wasnasin and Enarous are the spirits within immortals that keeps them immortal. Anyways, if you darn have the immortal spirits within you, you are truly the children of Lucinda and Jacob. You must wear the locket."

Hal was puzzled, "What do you mean? What happens if we're not immortal?"

Dan smiled. "Then, my friends, you die."

Marie winced. "That's reassuring," she said. She grabbed the locket and placed it around her neck.

After a minute, Dan smirked."Guess it worked. By now, you'd usually burn to a crisp," he said. He turned to Hal. "Your turn,
boy."

….to be continued