Patty Liu - Silent Reflections

Tony and Princess Wendy sat in their tree. The sun had come up and they were getting impatiently restless. Trapped up in the tree at two hundred feet up was making them incredibly cranky. The two of them were just about to snap each other's heads off. Tony especially was not in a good mood at all. Pip, the white dove had given him incredibly bad news. His daughter was now currently treading around the Nine Kingdoms looking for him but also had some witch girl on her tail ready to kill her. And Tony couldn't do anything to help except sit in a damn tree and worry.

He looked over at Pip, perched on a nearby branch. The bird had stayed with them throughout the whole night and chatted his pretty little beak off, practically. He had explained to Tony that he could hear the thoughts of his owner up until he’d gotten hit in the head by the children. That's how he’d known that the witch broad was intent on following Virginia, dressed like a gypsy girl. But he also knew that Virginia was out looking for her father. That much he knew because the palace guards had found Tony's horse wandering out on his own.

Pip perked up and started flapping his wings. "Someone's coming," he announced. Tony and Wendy felt the tree they sat on begin to shake. The leaves rustled and the branches creaked.

"Is it Udo, the giant?" Wendy asked quietly. She looked around but didn't see anything. The gradual shaking had become more extreme and they all held onto the tree they sat in.

"I'm not sure. He might be invisible, still," Tony whispered back. "Udo?! Is that you?" he shouted out.

"I'm back!" boomed a loud and low voice. There was a small clicking noise and suddenly the giant materialized in front of them.

Pip cooed and his eyes bulged practically out of his sockets. He zipped onto Princess Wendy's shoulder and hid there behind her hair. "I have never seen anyone that big in all my life!" he whispered into the princess's ear. The princess shooed him away and put her finger up to her lips to signal for him to be quiet.

"Took you long enough. Let me guess...you forgot about us?" Tony remarked sarcastically. He knew he was talking to a man that could squash him like a bug but his patience was so low right now that he'd probably try to squash himself.

"Sorry, little man. I fell asleep. But I remembered right away when I woke up this morning," the giant apologized and began fumbling in his shirt pocket. "Look, I even brought you food. I knew you'd be hungry." He handed each of them boxes that were the size of his pinky fingernail. But to Tony and Wendy, the boxes were practically two times the size of their own heads. They weren't heavy, though, when Tony and Wendy peered in to their boxes. Inside were packed sweet meats and jars of cider. Some fruit and cheese wedges and even legs of lamb that were barbequed.

"I had the kitchen maid at one of the taverns pack them for me. She's a perdy little thing and always so sweet. But right now I can't hear her speak unless I pick her up. She is very upset right now. Have you two figured out how to break this curse, Little Man?" Udo asked. He noticed Pip the dove hiding behind Wendy's hair and Udo raised a huge hairy eyebrow. "You have a little white birdy on your shoulder, Little Girl."

"Yes, Mr. Udo. I know. He is Pip, the talking dove." Wendy explained while she unpacked her box and began eating some fruit.

Tony had already unpacked his box a while ago and was already eating his sweet meats and swallowing cider in gulps. He was so hungry he didn't even pay attention to what his companions were discussing.

"A talking bird?!" The giant stood in silent thought for a few minutes while the smaller people sat on their tree and ate. "Can't you just send the bird out to the other kingdoms and tell them what is happening here?"

"Mmmm... but the force-field. He can't get through," Tony said with his mouth full.

"No, I saw it. The birds can fly high enough, even higher than me. They can fly over the invisible wall," Udo announced.

Tony immediately stopped chewing and shouted with joy. He almost fell off his post on the tree but he quickly steadied himself. "This is wonderful! Pip can go warn Virginia of the witch girl and tell her about where we are and what is going on."

"Antony, I think that just might work. Pip, can you fly over the invisible wall?" Princess Wendy asked now with hope in her voice.

Pip came out of hiding. His courage was slowly regaining itself and he flew a few times around the giant's head.

"Sure can, Lady. I didn't even know there was an invisible wall in the first place. But now that you mention it, sometimes I couldn't fly in a certain direction when I flying lower towards the ground. I just get shot back or something. But I just figured it was my mind playing tricks on me. So yeah, sure... I'll see if I can fly high enough to pass the wall. But then what?"

"Find Virginia, that's what! Tell her everything that you have told us. But warn her not to enter this kingdom or she will lose all sound also. She will be just trapped along with us," Tony explained.

"Sure thing, Pops. I'm not sure how long this is gonna take, though, cuz my sense of direction is somewhat screwed up right now from being conked in the head far too many times. I'll try my best to speed it up though," Pip cooed and flew off.

"He's heading in the wrong direction," Udo chimed in.

"What?" Princess Wendy exclaimed.

"He's not even going in the right direction towards the Second Kingdom."

"Well, stop him then," Tony called out.

"Oh wait...he's turning around. No worries!" Udo announced. He turned away from gazing at the flying dove and smiled at the two little people in front of him sitting on a tree.

"Do you suppose we should get out of the tree now, Antony? This height is beginning to make my head swoon," Princess Wendy asked Tony. Tony looked down from their perch and noticed the great height they were up at also and his vision blurred a bit too.

"I suppose you're right. We might as well. I've been needing to relieve myself since last night."

Wendy made a face of distaste and climbed onto the giants outstretched hand. "We just won't be able to communicate by talking anymore once we get down. Udo, can you take us to where the villagers are and where our guards are, please?"