Another late night writing session, followed by an early morning posting. This week is certainly the week of slow, painstaking entries... But I'm making my way through and writing every day. Here are another 539 words!

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Welcome. The voice echoed in the mind of every child in the clearing. To an outsider, it might have looked as if some sort of bizarre school lesson was going on. The children sat cross legged on the ground, their eyes fixed on the owl in the centre tree. No one moved, no one spoke, but each child listened intently, a joyful smile on his or her face.

You are the chosen ones, said the voice. I have been waiting for the right time to lead you to your reward and at last the time has come.
Show us what the reward is, thought Charlotte. Please show us!
The owl turned its head slowly, until it seemed to be looking at Charlotte alone.
You are about to enter the most wonderful land, said the voice. It is a land of plenty, where every dream and wish is yours for the taking. No one is ever ill there, nor do they suffer from too little to eat. There is no need for anyone to work. Your days of labour are over. You may spend your days entirely as you wish. You will never know sadness again, for all painful memories will be taken away.

Charlotte breathed a deep sigh. It sounds so wonderful, she thought.
Come. The children scrambled to their feet, looking at one another in delight. The owl took to the sky again and the music grew in intensity. Everyone linked arms and followed the short distance through the clearing. On the other side of the clearing was a large rocky hillside.
Charlotte turned to Troy. “I didn’t realize we were travelling up so high,” she said. “We must have left the village far behind.”

All at once a figure appeared in front of the hillside. He wore a long cloak and his face was hidden inside its cowl. A pipe was raised to his lips. Charlotte smiled. At last she could see the creator of the beautiful music. The stranger turned his back to the children and faced the rocks. He piped a series of quick notes and a crack began to appear. As the stranger played, the crack widened, until at last it was wide enough to fit through. At that, he turned back to face the children. He bowed low, as if to invite them inside. The owl flew through the gap first, followed by the children, jostling each other in their eagerness to reach the land they had been promised. When all the children had passed through the gap, the stranger pushed back the cowl and took the pipe from his lips. Smiling an eerie smile, he walked through the gap, which had already begun to thin.

As the crack in the hillside began to close, a black cat sprang into view. By the time it reached the spot through which the children and then the stranger had walked, the crack was half its original size. The cat ran up and down the side of the hillside, but there was no sign of any other entrance. Realising that this was his only chance, Sixpence launched himself at the rock. He had to get through before Charlotte and the others were lost to him forever!