The Magic Hollow

One

The Lady in the Water

My name is Hayden. Nice to meet you. Normally I don't tell this story to someone I just met, but I have a good feeling about you. Who knows, you might even believe me. First, let me tell you a little about myself.

I’ve done a lot of embarrassing things growing up. One time, while I was cleaning my room, I tripped on a clothes hanger. Another time, I was in the mall wearing pants that were way too big. Halfway through the food court, they dropped to my ankles.

And then there was the time in a store with my foster mom. I wasn’t paying attention, so thinking some stranger was my mom, I grabbed onto her cart and followed her for like ten minutes. I guess she was really weirded out but didn’t know what to say, so she flagged down some confused employee to escort me back to my actual mom.

You probably get the point. But as embarrassing and funny as all those stories sound, none of them were the end of the world for me because at least my entire class wasn’t there to watch.

If you had known me back then, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking I didn’t have what it took to be a hero. Even I doubted myself. I mean come on, when was the last time you saw a valiant hero’s pants accidentally drop to the ground? Real intimidating.

I always felt like I was the ultimate loser, doomed to spend the rest of my middle school existence unnoticed and unappreciated. I had such a massive reputation for being a goof that it followed me all the way to my new school. Oh, and did I mention that new school was in another dimension?

Let me explain from the beginning.

***

I sat at my desk, enjoying my English teacher’s lecture about this old book called Le Morte d’Arthur, which is all about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I had already read the entire book several times before, but that didn’t make me any less interested in what my teacher had to say.

Mr. Bianco was a wizard at medieval literature and all things knights and adventure. Not only that, he knew all these cool facts about the English language, like how to speak Old English and the roots of almost every word and where it comes from. Well, except for the word sheep. Mr. Bianco says there’s no known explanation for the word sheep.

Mr. Bianco made learning fun. He made the material come alive for me. And no matter what the other kids said about his lectures, I loved them. For a so-called geek like me, his class was even better than comic-con. Every class period was a new adventure. By the end of each class, I could almost believe that legends like King Arthur were real.

Something strange happened to me while I was sitting in Mr. Bianco’s class the day before Halloween as Mr. Bianco was explaining the finer points of what a squire is. I would say it was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me, but a lot of even weirder things have happened since.

I stared at my desk, trying not to look too interested in what he was saying—because, you know, other kids tend to pick on teacher’s pets—but really, I was listening to every single word, taking it all in. I took a quick swig from my thermal water bottle. Before I could screw the cap back on, I heard someone whisper: Hello, Hayden. Or maybe even, hello, hero? I can’t remember.

I jumped with fright. Who would be whispering to me in class? Not to be a downer on myself, but nobody had whispered to me during class since like the fifth grade. Nowadays, I wasn’t exactly what you would call popular. I guess you could say most kids avoided talking to me for fear of catching geek by association.

That is why I miss the fifth grade. Life was easier then. I don’t know why so many kids look forward to becoming a teenager. By this point, I had been thirteen for nearly two whole months and being a teenager seemed entirely overrated. Long gone were the days when I could pick up a stick and start spontaneously sword fighting a bush or something. I mean, I could do that I guess, but I would probably get some funny looks while I was at it.

That right there is what’s wrong with growing up. Suddenly, you start worrying about what other people think. Looking back, I know I had it all wrong. By all means, pick up that stick. Sword fight that bush. You owe it to yourself. Plus, maybe sword fighting will come in handy someday. It did for me.

Anyway, I looked around the class but didn’t see anyone looking back at me. The girl sitting in the desk in front of me was slumped over in a daze, which made me wonder if we should move her onto life support. The boy in the next desk was spacing out as well, drawing on his arm so vigorously you’d think he was trying to give himself a permanent tattoo.

Hayden, said the voice again, a little more urgently.

This time, I was fairly sure I heard my name. I looked behind me, but no one was there. Just the pencil sharpener and the closed door, with a large purple poster taped haphazardly to it that read:

BOOKS ARE MAGIC!

I always sat in the back of the room in the corner closest to the door. If people didn’t notice me, they didn’t laugh at me when I did something embarrassing, or bully me with annoying questions that I didn’t have answers to, like Why are your eyes two different colors? or What happened to your real parents?

I decided the whisper must have been in my head, when suddenly I heard it again. Hayden! I’m in here.

I don’t know what possessed me to do this next part, but I did it anyway. The voice sounded like it was coming right out of my water bottle. So, naturally, I picked it up, peered inside, and whispered, How may I help you?

Inside, I saw the last thing I ever expected to see. A tiny woman floating above the waterline was looking up at me with electric blue eyes, brighter than the ocean around the Bahamas.

I heard myself shout as I jumped back in my chair, sending my water bottle flying. I don’t know what crashed first, my water bottle or my desk, but as I fell onto the cold hard floor both came falling on top of me with an earth-shattering bang.

My head was spinning in circles, but I didn’t need to think straight to know everyone in the room was staring right at me. My water bottle spilled all over the floor and I could feel my pants soaking through. My classmates erupted with laughter. Mr. Bianco must have installed surround-sound speakers because I felt like I could hear everything my classmates said.

Did you see that?

I saw him talking into his water bottle!

What a klutz, can you believe he signed up for basketball tryouts?

I hope no one invited him to the Halloween party.

Trying to ignore them, I focused on the throbbing pain in my forehead instead. Apparently, I hit my head on my desk as it squashed me like a bug. I didn’t need to take a selfie to know my face was beet red with embarrassment.

Everyone was looking at me, but not because I was cool. Not because I had done something impressive, either. I wished just once I could be the center of attention for something awesome, like scoring the final point of a basketball game or making some funny joke in class. At this point, that dream seemed even more fantastical than the stories of King Arthur we were reading about.

The reality was they were staring and laughing at me for only one reason: because I was the ultimate geek.

I completely forgot any thought about what I heard and saw in my water bottle. I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life. My pants were soaking like I had wet the bed, and every giggle and every snicker felt like a sucker punch straight to my gut. I wanted to disappear, run away, escape. Anywhere would be better than there. But I couldn’t move. I was frozen with embarrassment.

I’ve never wanted to cry at school before. Except for that moment. The second lowest moment of my life. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have been able to hold back the tears any longer if it weren’t for Mr. Bianco coming to my rescue. In my eyes, Mr. Bianco was a true hero that day.

"Everyone—quiet," Mr. Bianco said in his kind yet commanding tone.

The class stopped laughing, though they continued to murmur with excitement,  no doubt retelling what they had seen. Mr. Bianco came to my side. Kneeling beside me, he shielded me from the class’s view.

Hayden—are you okay, he asked. What happened?

I made another glance at the pool of water gathered around me, but still, I saw no sign of the little water lady. I—I don’t know. I was leaning back in my chair and tipped over, I lied.

Mr. Bianco watched me closely. He must have noticed the odd way I looked at the water, because he looked down then back at me strangely. Just for a moment, his eyes narrowed, and I thought I saw realization on his face. Did he know what had happened—what I had seen in the water? But then the look was gone, and it was just his normal smiling expression again.

His gray eyes twinkled beneath his glasses. Come on then, let’s get you up. He grabbed my arm and gently, but with great strength, lifted me to my feet. He handed me my empty water bottle and copy of Le Morte d’Arthur, which thankfully hadn’t gotten wet.

My head was still spinning from the impact, making it difficult to focus.

You hit your head pretty hard, Hayden. You better go see the nurse.

Yeah, was all I said.

I didn’t need to be told twice. Happy to escape that classroom and the peering eyes of all my classmates, I scooped up my bag and practically ran out the door. The worst part was hearing them burst with laughter for a second time the moment I left.

Their laughter ringing in my ears, I decided not to go to the nurse’s office. My head started to feel better as soon as I was out the door and up on my feet. My pants were still soaked, though, and I still felt shocked from embarrassment. I was already dreading the next time I would have to face my class.

The halls were empty except for one or two students I didn’t recognize. They were on their way to the bathroom, holding bizarre bathroom passes like a red-painted toilet seat or a bright blue lanyard bearing our school logo, a knight in silver armor. The lanyard dangled dozens of obnoxious key chains that clinked and clanged with each step.

I never really understood teachers’ fascination with hall passes. It’s like they put as much energy into coming up with embarrassing bathroom passes as they do planning a lesson. Sometimes they are funny, true, but most of the time they make timid kids like me hold it until lunch recess.

For the record, Mr. Bianco never made us wait if we had to go to the bathroom. It’s a little thing, but I felt like he trusted us. If we said we didn’t feel good or had to pee, the good man let us out of the classroom to take care of our business, minimal questions asked.

I did feel guilty for taking advantage of his trust by not actually visiting the school nurse, but at the time all I wanted was to escape. I needed a place to hide where I couldn’t be seen. Somewhere where I could try to process everything that had happened. See, I knew this feeling so well by then, I was certain I was experiencing anxiety. In my case, only being outside and alone seemed to calm me down and help me focus.

I exited the school from one of the side doors near the cafeteria, which led me to a large blacktop. It was a cool, crisp day, but not too cold to deter PE class.

I could see Ms. Wallace, our PE teacher, in the field blowing her whistle and barking orders as her class played soccer. Fortunately, they were too far away and too distracted by Ms. Wallace’s commands (PASS THE BALL! SHOOT THE BALL! DEFENDERS STAY IN POSITION!) to ever notice me sneaking off to my favorite hiding place.

A row of large evergreen trees and a tall silver-wire fence lined the perimeter of our school grounds. A large school sign like you'd see at old movie theaters and gas stations stood by a cluster of trees. In big black letters the sign read:

LAKESHORE MIDDLE SCHOOL: WHERE KIDS MEET THEIR DEMISE BY SUFFERING SLOW AND PAINFUL SOCIAL DEATHS.

Okay, maybe I made up that last part, but that’s exactly the way I felt as I strode across the grass then concealed myself behind the sign.

Once I was sitting still, all my feelings were able to sink in. I felt worse than I ever had in my pint-sized life. Part of me wanted to be angry. Angry at my class for laughing at me, angry at my foster parents for, well, adopting me, angry at myself for being so useless . . . but I couldn’t. After everything that had happened, I still didn’t have an ounce of anger inside me.

All I felt was disappointment. I felt foolish for thinking I could make the basketball team and even more foolish for thinking I would get invited to the big Halloween party all the other kids had been talking about for weeks. I dreamed of making the team and proving to my classmates once and for all I demanded their respect. I imagined scoring the winning shot with seconds left on the clock . . . all the kids rushing onto the court, lifting me above their heads, cheering my name.

My daydream was interrupted by the memory of what I had seen in my water bottle: the water lady. Her blue eyes flashed before my mind, giving me the chills. It seemed so real. I was certain I had seen her floating above the waterline. But now, sitting outside, trying to recall the details, it all seemed impossible. I had to have imagined it. There was a story in Le Morte d’Arthur where King Arthur saw a woman appear to him on a lake. She, too, stood on the water. What was her name? I racked my brain trying to remember . . . ah, of course, I thought, The Lady of the Lake.

But that was just a story. Nothing more than a myth told by Englishmen who were trying to strengthen national pride after they had been conquered by the Normans. At least, that’s what my textbook said. The imaginative part of my brain wanted to entertain the idea further: What if the stories really were true? But I knew that was insane. Even if the Lady of the Lake were real, what would she be doing in my water bottle? Beyond that, what would she be doing in the United States of America appearing to some teenage kid? King Arthur had ruled in Camelot, a made-up kingdom all the way in England, thousands of miles away, and like a thousand years ago.

I had almost convinced myself to forget about everything I saw when I noticed a large puddle of water near the base of one of the evergreens. I’ll admit, I felt a tingle of excitement as I considered what might happen if I looked into it. What if I saw the water lady again? What would she say? Then I would know for sure if I had imagined it all or not.

My curiosity got the best of me. I inched slowly toward the water, moving cautiously, forgetting that I was leaving the cover of the sign behind me. I was both excited and nervous to approach it.

When I reached the edge of the water, murky brown from the mud and speckled with pebbles and leaves, I peered inside. All I saw was my reflection looking back at me.

I was disappointed, but I wasn’t ready to give up hope. Maybe it worked like a phone call. I needed to let her know I was calling. She had whispered my name, hadn’t she? Maybe I needed to say hers.

Um, water lady? I said timidly, Are you there?

No response. I felt my anticipation dissipate like the air from a leaking balloon. But wait, I realized, maybe I needed to say her name right. Of course, she wouldn’t be called water lady.

I took a deep breath, then said, Lady of the Lake?

I waited eagerly, but nothing happened.

Confused, I convinced myself to close the matter. I told myself the whole thing had been my imagination. Thinking about it would just lead to more trouble and more embarrassment.

Thanks for nothing, I muttered to the puddle, kicking its surface, sending little waves and ripples across its surface.

Well, well, well. The rumors are true. Cat Eyes really is talking to water! said a voice from over by the school doors.

Startled, my heart dropped. I knew that voice anywhere. It was the voice of my biggest enemy: Jared Phinkle. And he wasn’t alone, either. He was flanked by two cronies, each even bigger than he was. Eighth graders.

Great, I thought. Bullies. Can this day get any worse?

Two

Bullies and a Hoard

Every school has a stinky bathroom everyone tries to avoid if they can help it. Now imagine one of those grimy stalls and multiply the smell by at least a million. Jared Phinkle smells worse. Guaranteed. Plus, he’s the biggest bully in the whole school.

Jared Phinkle had been my worst enemy since the fifth grade. As we got older, he only got nastier. I don’t know what he had against me, but for whatever reason I was his favorite verbal punching bag. Jared had been held back one year, so he was older than me, and he still liked to hang out with the eighth graders because technically, he should be one.

I will never forget the fateful day in science class when we started learning about genetics and my teacher mentioned heterochromia, the technical term for what I have: two different colored eyes. For me, one is bright blue, and the other is stormy gray. Well, forgetting that a student in the class had heterochromia, my teacher put up a picture of a cat with it as well. Imagine a fat white ball of fluff with stout whiskers and big beady eyes, each a different color. Almost immediately, Jared piped up in the background, Look, Hayden, it’s your long-lost mom!

I never forgave him for that comment. And he never let the joke go either. From then on, to him I was Cat-Eyes or Wussy-Cat or every other cat related name his troglodyte-sized brain could think of.

Now you can understand why Jared Phinkle of all people, was the last person I wanted to see right then.

What do you want? I asked defiantly.

I just wanted to see for myself. I got a text saying you were talking to water, and then you fell out of your chair and wet yourself. Jared laughed, shortly followed by the laughter of his two cronies behind him. I realized I didn’t recognize them. New students maybe?

My face flushed with anger. That’s not true! Well, some of it . . . my water bottle spilled on me!

Is there a madhouse for cats? Jared asked. Or do kitties who won’t potty train just get sent back to the pound? He slammed his fist into his palm as he said the last word.

His two new goons seemed interested in the last word. Pound! one of them repeated sluggishly, flexing muscles that looked like pythons.

Different kind of pound, I said nervously, taking a few steps backward. The school bell rang loudly in the distance. Even from outside I could hear the shuffling of students all around the school getting up to change classes. But none of them would ever come out here . . . no one would see me get beat up, if that’s what this was going to come to.

Look, this has been fun, but I better get going, I said with a grin, trying to sound as confident as a lion, but squeaking like a mouse.

I tried to walk past them, but one of the big-uglies I didn’t recognize grabbed my arm. He had an insanely tight grip. I thought Jared had smelled bad, but this mammoth of a kid—he smelled like old trash and wet dog fur—a very nasty combination.

The strange thing was, he sniffed at the air above me, then looked at the other guy and said, he smells.

Could those guys smell fear, or something? Because I didn’t know what else they could be talking about. Unlike their leader, Phinkle, I actually practice good hygiene.

Hey! What is going on out here? Mr. Bianco stepped through the school’s front doors, approaching us in quick strides.

Jared Phinkle backed off quickly, but his two goons stayed behind, the one still holding my arm.

Let go of him, numskull! Jared whispered angrily.

Begrudgingly, the big kid let go of my arm, and both of them shuffled back into position behind Jared. I couldn’t help but feel relieved. Something was weird about those two, but I couldn’t quite place it.

Get back to class before I put you all in detention! Mr. Bianco said firmly. He may be a middle school English teacher, but he could easily pass for a bespectacled UFC fighter as well. As big as those kids were, Mr. Bianco towered over them. Not you, Hayden. Come here.

Jared gave me an angry look, but knowing he was cornered, said, Come on, let’s go. He and his cronies stomped off past us.

One of them, the one who had nearly squished the life out of my arm, whispered to me as they passed: "We’ll get you later, human."

I wondered if I had heard what he said correctly. I looked at Mr. Bianco, but if he had heard what the kid had said, he didn’t show it. He did put his arm around my shoulder, which helped me feel relieved. He was watching the eighth graders intensely, but I couldn’t read the look on his face.

Let’s go, he finally said when they were out of sight.

We walked in silence for a minute, Mr. Bianco leading me back inside and down the hallway to my next class.

I broke the silence, however, saying, I’m sorry I didn’t come back to class . . . I just needed some time.

Mr. Bianco stopped and looked down at me again, smiling warmly. I understand. You missed a thrilling lecture, though. Not that you need it. I bet you read more than the entire class combined.

I always read what you recommend to me, I said matter-of-factly. And it was true. I loved Mr. Bianco’s recommendations.

"Did you finish Howard Pyle’s The Story of King Arthur and His Knights?" Mr. Bianco asked as we started to walk again.

Of course, I said. "I loved it, obviously. But I did notice there were a lot of differences from Sir Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur."

Which do you think was more accurate? Mr. Bianco asked.

What do you mean, sir?

Both writers were from very different time periods, Mr. Bianco explained, but each attempted to categorize many of the myths about King Arthur in one place. Do you think one writer did better than the other?

They are just retellings of old myths, right? So, can one really be more accurate than the other?

I suppose. Which did you find more believable then?

Well, I guess, I would have to say Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. Hypothetically, that is.

Yes, of course. Hypothetically, Mr. Bianco said.

Mr. Bianco?

Yes, Hayden?

I think . . . I think I've been reading too much King Arthur stuff lately. This is going to sound crazy, but I . . . I thought I saw the Lady of the Lake. In my water bottle.

It sounded even crazier to me as I said it out loud, which I regretted almost immediately. I didn’t want my favorite teacher to think I was nuts. But Mr. Bianco handled it well. He looked at me curiously, and said, I don’t think that is crazy, Hayden. The imagination is a really powerful thing. It never ceases to amaze me.

I smiled, but inside, I felt embarrassed. He was right, it must have been my imagination.

Mr. Bianco must have been able to discern some of my hidden emotion because he said, Don’t be afraid to dream and imagine, Hayden. I know how hard you’ve been preparing for basketball tryouts. You have so much potential. I can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish, whether it’s on the basketball court or not.

Mr. Bianco had a way of making me feel better. I wanted to give him a hug right then, but I held back the desire. The disappointment I felt didn’t go away entirely, but at least I felt a little better.

Well, I better get going to my next class, I said. Thank you, Mr. Bianco.

Of course. Oh, and Hayden. Be careful this week. With Halloween coming up and everything, just try not to wander off alone. And keep away from those bullies. I’ll take care of them if I can . . .

The way Mr. Bianco said that, I didn’t know if I should be filled with glee or be afraid for their safety. Mr. Bianco was the nicest person I knew, but sometimes he seemed so strong, it was almost frightening. I wondered if he was an ex-marine or something equally hardcore.

The rest of the school day passed by in a blur. Fortunately, my pants dried and the lump on my forehead stopped hurting. Despite my physical recovery, however, it still wasn’t easy to pay attention to my teachers. Everything that happened left a lot on my mind. I kept thinking about the water lady, and how real she had seemed. And yet, even Mr. Bianco, who I’ve always known I could trust, didn’t believe it was real, so why should I?

I was grateful for Mr. Bianco stepping in and saving me from Jared Phinkle and his goons. I was equally grateful for his kind words of encouragement. But even after that, I still felt a strange disappointment about our conversation. Part of me felt a little ashamed for not being able to fight my own battles. Not only that, I kept thinking if what he said was true, everything I had seen was just my imagination. And what did that say about my state of mind? Mr. Bianco called it my imagination, but if my class really knew what I thought I saw, they would call it a hallucination. 

Fortunately, nobody confronted me the rest of the day, but I heard their giggles and whispers as I passed in the hallways. When the final bell rang, I was the first to reach the school bus.

A few minutes later, the seats were full, though no one sat next to me, the bus rattled with power, the driver gave her usual spiel about safety to a couple kids who were climbing around on the chairs, and the constant chatter of two dozen children laughing and joking and talking about what they were going to do when they finished their homework filled the bus as we made our way along the route to our homes.

Unlike many of my schoolmates, I wasn’t particularly excited to go home. Home was difficult for me. See, I was adopted by a couple named Winston and Arabella Keyes when I was just a baby. I never knew my real parents because it was a closed case. Apparently, I will never know them. But that’s not the problem. I know lots of kids get adopted, and it’s great. They get a home. But I haven’t had a home for over nine years. Well, we do have a house, but . . . my foster