Jennie and the Secret of Cendaria E-Book

Marie Hofer

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 86

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

One balmy summer evening, Jennie gets lost in the forest and, by a crazy twist of fate, finds herself in a magical world full of wonderful and strange creatures. The dwarf Remus gives her shelter in his house and his pet dragon Cadmus is also friendly towards her. As she curiously explores Kendaria, she quickly becomes acquainted with the elven people and experiences many adventures with her new, magical friends. No one suspects that all of Kendaria and all of its inhabitants are in grave danger. For in the dark caves deep below the ground, sinister plans are being hatched...

Leseprobe

Any inconsistencies in the text are due to the fact that it was translated using computer-aided technology for a company-wide study.

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Chapter 1

Cendaria

"You'll be home by seven," Mrs. Miller called to her daughter. Jennie stroked a strand of hair from her freckled face, slightly annoyed. Her hazel eyes wandered to her mother. "Yes, Mom!" Then she sprinted out into the alley. Mrs. Miller anxiously called after her daughter: "And make sure nothing happens to you!" "Sure thing!" Jennie crossed the road and stepped onto a moss-covered forest path. Above her was a beautiful canopy of leaves through which the sun was shining. She drew funny squiggles on the forest floor with a branch. Suddenly, the girl saw a bright blue butterfly fluttering in front of her. Jennie hadn't seen such a beautiful insect for a long time. She followed it deep into the forest. When she turned around, Jennie was startled to realize that she was lost. Undergrowth, undergrowth, undergrowth. Everywhere she looked, there were thorn bushes and shrubs. Jennie panicked because it was gradually getting dark. And she wasn't at all comfortable being alone in the forest at night. An eagle owl called in the treetops. Then Jennie had a brilliant idea. Without thinking twice, she climbed up a gnarled tree branch by branch. At last she reached the treetop. From up there, she had a wonderful view over the whole forest. Suddenly her foot stepped into the void. Before she could understand why she lacked a firm footing, she lost her balance. Screaming, she fell into the hollow trunk of the tree.

Ten minutes later, Jennie woke up next to a crystal-clear lake. Confused, she sat up. Then she noticed that she was lying in a colorful meadow of flowers. There was a delicate fragrance in the warm summer air. It smelled of roses, rosemary and lavender. Suddenly Jennie spotted an outline by the lake. She frowned because it looked like a horse. Jennie cautiously approached the animal. Then her breath caught in her throat. That ... that wasn't a horse! It was a ... "Unicorn?!"

Was that possible? Jennie took a step towards the animal, but it looked at her in fright with its big ocean-blue eyes and fled into the thicket. "Don't run away!" Jennie wanted to run after the unicorn, but then she realized how much her right foot hurt. She must have sprained it with the hard landing. She rolled down her sock and saw that her right ankle was swollen red. Desperate, she sat down on a large stone in the middle of the meadow. Everything was slowly becoming too much for her. She didn't know where she was, how she could get back and whether she had gone completely mad because she saw unicorns. "I probably hit my head when I landed," Jennie mumbled, confused. She couldn't explain it any other way. "Hey man, how the heck did you get here?" she heard a cheeky voice behind her. Astonished, she turned around. Behind her stood a little man, who raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I honestly don't know either," Jennie replied. The dwarf looked worriedly at her injury. "My child, that doesn't look good! A few leaves of the Hortensia plant could certainly help you! Come with me so I can have a good look at your ankle!" The dwarf snapped his tiny fingers and a reddish-brown dragon with iridescent scales and large emerald-green eyes came flying over. Jennie took a startled step back and widened her eyes. "Don't worry!" the dwarf replied. "That's Cadmus, my dragon. He will take you safely to my home. I'll quickly collect the Hortensia leaves in the Dark Forest for your injury." Jennie hesitated briefly, but then she sat down on the scaly dragon's back. Cadmus flapped his gigantic wings vigorously and took to the air. The girl looked down into the depths with a queasy feeling. Green meadows and icy blue rivers passed below them. Despite her fear of heights, she felt safe and secure on the dragon's back. After a while, the dragon landed between tall trees. Jennie climbed off its back. "Thank you, Cadmus," she said. The animal replied: "I was happy to do that." The girl's eyes widened in astonishment. "You ... you can talk?" "Of course, everyone here can talk!" grinned the dragon. When Jennie looked up, she saw a gnarled oak tree with a small wooden door in front of her. A wooden spiral staircase led up the mighty trunk to the balcony in the treetops. There was a tiny, old rocking chair on the balcony, next to it a small table with a telescope.

"Remus lives here and my cave is just behind the tree!" Cadmus explained. Jennie nodded in amazement. Carefully, she stepped into the dwarf house.

Chapter 2

Flame

Remus entered the dark forest. The undergrowth cracked under his feet. Ravens cawed down from the branches at the dwarf. Visitors were most unwelcome in their forest. Further back, he caught sight of a huge hydrangea bush. He hurriedly tore off a few leaves of the medicinal plant and put them in his red velvet pouch. As quickly as if he was being followed, he ran out of the least frequented region of Cendaria. He hurriedly crossed the Silver River. A bridge led to the other bank. Once there, he crossed the fairy forest. This was a beautiful place - the sun's rays shone through the canopy of leaves and a lovely scent filled the air. Fairies buzzed around and their pastel-colored dresses blew in the wind. Remus walked quietly across the moss-covered forest floor. The fairies were extremely skittish, and he didn't want to upset them. Behind the birch trees, he fought his way through thick brambles and finally came to a clearing. Further on, he finally spotted his house. The soles of his feet ached as he knocked on the small wooden door, completely exhausted. Jennie limped to the door and opened it.

After a little refreshment, Remus led the girl into a small, light-flooded room. There was a bed and a bedside table, with a hand-carved closet just beside it. "This is my guest room. You can stay here while you're in Cendaria." Jennie thanked her host and flopped down on the cozy bed. "I'll call you when there's dinner!" Remus informed her and was gone the next moment. Jennie lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. At first, she was very grateful that Remus had taken her in, because that was anything but a matter of course. But the very next moment, she began to worry because she didn't know how she was going to get back home. She resolved that she would ask the dwarf at dinner. Her eyelids grew heavy, and her breathing became calmer. In no time at all, Jennie was asleep.

Wisps of mist drifted around. Black ravens flew restlessly in circles. The full moon shimmered in the dark night. Figures ranout of the mist. Their eyes were filled with tears. "Where are you, Jennie?" Her parents' voices echoed through the night. But all they got in reply was the cawing of a raven. The woman burst into tears. The man tried to comfort her. He looked around desperately. "Jennie!" he called out. "Jennie!"

Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Jennie, wake up!" The dwarf brought the girl back from her dream. Jennie was startled. "What was going on?" Remus eyed her worriedly. Jennie straightened up. "Nothing... I... I just dozed off for a moment!" she stuttered. "Dinner's ready! Are you coming?" Jennie nodded and followed Remus downstairs. A lovingly laid table was already waiting for the two of them in the kitchen, with a small vase of flowers with beautiful daisies in the middle. "Sit down," Remus said, and Jennie sat down on a small wooden chair. Dinner was a herbal soup with rose petals. "Enjoy it!" The dwarf gorged himself hungrily on his food. Jennie wondered whether it was even edible, but she preferred to keep that to herself. She stared at the soup. Blue and green herbs were floating in it. Including a few rose petals. She tentatively spooned the soup into herself. It tasted sweet, a little like cinnamon, and reminded her of Christmas. "I'll fix your foot after dinner," Remus said. Jennie nodded gratefully. "Do you know how to get me back home, Remus?" The dwarf looked at her for a long time. "No," he said slowly. "I have no idea." Jennie was puzzled by his answer. There had to be a way back! Would she have to stay here forever? But she thought to herself that it was probably better not to ask Remus again. So, she finished her soup in silence. After the table had been cleared, the dwarf turned to Jennie. "Now, let's take care of your ankle." Jennie sat down on a chair while Remus fetched the leaves of the Hortensia plant. The girl rolled up her trouser leg and the dwarf came back. He held a small mortar in his right hand and the leaves in his left. He quickly crushed them with the mortar. A purple liquid dripped out. He stirred three times, then spread the juice on Jennie's wound. She clenched her teeth. A searing pain shot through her ankle. It felt as if she had stepped into the fire with it. But the longer the remedy lay on her wound, the more it eased the pain.

Finally, the dwarf put a bandage on her. Jennie thanked him and hobbled up the spiral staircase to her room. Once there, she dropped onto the bed, exhausted. She was so tired that she even forgot to brush her teeth. Her eyelids closed and she fell into a deep sleep.