Chapter 5: Aunty Runty’s Map “What am I going to do while you run around looking for Aunty Runty?  I refuse to let anyone see me like this!” complained Prince Pompous, as he pointed to his wigless head. “Do you want us to put you back where we found you?” asked Ben in a rather impatient voice. “Now Ben, don’t be upset with the Prince,” said Emily.  She knelt down in front of Ben so she could look at Prince Pompous, who was still hiding in Ben’s pocket. “Prince Pompous, we’re sorry you feel so bad about your wig.  I think you look very handsome without it.  But still, Ben and I will do all we can to help you find it.  Now, do you want to go with us so we can solve this mystery, or would you rather we put you back on the toadstool?” Prince Pompous thought about what Emily had said.  He noticed that she was being very polite when she talked to him.  “And so she should,” thought Prince Pompous to himself. “I am an important fairy.”  “Yes Emily,” he said aloud. “I think I will go with you.  You will probably need my help.” Ben rolled his eyes again but didn’t say anything more to the Prince.  “Lead us to Aunty Runty, Elf,” he said.  “We need that map!” Aunty Runty lived in the Elf’s tree house.  Now, this tree was not an ordinary tree.  To begin with, its trunk was very fat and its treetop was very, very tall. Ben and Emily had visited the tree house once while on their first forest adventure.  At that time, they were as small as Elf and had gone inside the tree.  They saw how big it was, with stairs going up, up, up and doors leading out from the landings at each “up.” “Elf, do you think you can ask Aunty Runty to let us take her map?” asked Ben. Emily jumped in, “I think we should ask Aunty Runty ourselves so she can show us on the map where we should look.  She’s a little touchy about lending her things, you know.”  Emily and Ben had met Aunty Runty before and knew she was rather old and fussy. “Good idea, Emily,” agreed Ben. “Elf, would you ask her very nicely if she could come out and talk to us and bring the map with her?” Elf slipped behind a bush and disappeared through a small door in the tree.  After a few minutes, they heard coughing and wheezing.  Out came Aunty Runty, leaning on a tiny cane with one hand, while holding onto Elf’s arm with the other.  Elf was carrying a large map.  Aunty Runty was very wide.  Oh my, she wasn’t even as tall as Elf, and she was very wrinkled.  She must have been very old.  Aunty Runty fell back a little when she first saw Ben and Emily. She had forgotten how big they were. “I remember you!” she yelled in a loud, shaky voice.  “What do you want with my map?” Emily said in her sweetest voice, “Aunty Runty, we need to know where the crows live.  We’re trying to help Prince Pompous find his wig.  We think a crow took it.” “Oh, my dear girl, they live on the east side of the forest where there are lots of bushes with berries,” Aunty Runty explained, “But there are huge animals living there, too.  My great grandfather took me there once to show me what a bear looked like.  He told me I should never go back there again. He said I might get picked up by the big, scary birds and taken to their nests.  It happened once to one of my adventurous old uncles.  Luckily, he was a good climber and made his escape down from the nest when the bird was on a berry hunt.” Ben, Emily and Elf looked at each other as if to say, “Dare we go?” Emily was the first to speak up, “You know how I love an adventure.  I’m willing to go.” “The forest won’t be safe until we find Prince Pompous’ wig.  I’m willing to go,” Ben boldly announced.  “I’d go anyplace with the two of you.  Let’s go!” exclaimed Elf.  Aunty Runty, pointing to a place on the map, showed the adventurers where the crows built their nests.  She was shaking her head and mumbling about big bears and scary birds.  After studying the map, Ben slid it into his backpack.  Just before Elf and Aunty Runty disappeared through the door of the tree, they heard her yell in her high-pitched voice, “Don’t you lose my map young man, and don’t you lose my nephew!” Chapter 6: The Adventure The sun had been moving across the sky as the travelers hurried along unfamiliar paths. Prince Pompous impatiently poked his head out of Ben’s pocket, “You’re moving much too slow.  We need to get my wig back before dark.  Stop!  I’m going to have to use some of my fairy dust to hurry you along.”  The prince leaned out of Ben’s pocket, and with his little wand, sprinkled something sparkly onto Ben’s and Emily’s feet. “I knew you couldn’t do without me,” he declared. Ben didn’t even have time to roll his eyes.  All of a sudden, every step he and Emily took seemed like they were running faster than they had ever run in their lives.  The trees became a blur.  Once, they passed a big hairy something that looked a lot like a fuzzy bear.  The forest was changing.  Big rocks and hills came into view. Ben yelled to Prince Pompous, “Take off the spell, we’re nearly there!” Prince Pompous flashed his little wand towards Ben’s and Emily’s feet.  Skidding to a stop, they found themselves standing by a beautiful, little lake.  Catching their breath and finding a nice-sized rock to sit on, Ben unfolded Aunty Runty’s map. “There’s the lake,” he said, pointing to an area of the map.  And then, pointing further to the east, “That’s where the big, black bird’s nest is.”  Staring off to the east, the little group of adventurers saw a large mountain with big cliffs and caves that looked like gaping, dark mouths. Pine trees clung to the side of the mountain by their half-exposed roots.  High above the trees, they saw big, black birds floating on the wind. They seemed to be perched on imaginary surfboards and riding perfect, ocean waves. The children picked themselves up from the rock they had been resting on.  “We need to get closer to that mountain,” Emily said.  Without warning, one of the birds dove toward the little group.  Before they knew it, that big, black bird had plucked Elf from Ben’s shoulder! “Help!” cried Elf.  He hung from the bird’s talons, looking smaller and smaller as the bird flew higher and higher toward one of the big trees on the mountain.  Ben and Emily stood with their mouths wide open in shock.  They watched as Elf was carried away. Prince Pompous ducked deep down into Ben’s pocket. Ben and Emily realized Elf was getting farther and farther away.  They both started to run, and before long, they were climbing the mountain, searching for the tree where the bird had landed.  Their legs and hands were scratched from slipping on rocks, as they climbed past bushes and ducked under tree limbs. Both of them were breathing hard from their efforts. They soon came to one of the large caves they had seen from below.  A noise came from within the cave.  All of a sudden, a big bear was standing in front of them!  Emily, remembering they had not eaten their lunch, quickly grabbed the lunch sack out of Ben’s backpack and threw it as far as she could down the hill.  The bear, smelling the sandwiches and cookies, lumbered down the hill to where the food lay scattered among the bushes and rocks. Once again, Ben and Emily proceeded to climb up, up, up to the tree where the bird had put Elf into the nest.