Treasure of the Enchanted Forest – TKT (1984)

Well, I know you’ve likely been checking back here every few hours or so since I announced that I was going to drop the ULTIMATE STORY on this here bloggy-blogg.

The wait is over, friends of fine literature.

Here, just below a few more lines of my babbling, is the best story I could come up with in 1984 for the book fair at my old Catholic school.  I was 12 years old and in the 6th grade.  I’d written other stories before (STICK MAN AND HIS FIRST VOYAGE INTO THE BLACK HOLE, RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX) but this was me unleashing everything I had.

Or did I?

I seem to remember writing this, on a homemade desk my dad built into my closet.  It was kind of cool.  It folded up and was secured to the wall by a chain.  When I was ready to write, I’d unhook it, a leg on a hinge would unfold and viola…instant writer’s desk.  But if memory serves, I sat down and cranked this out in a night or two.  I remember as I was writing it not knowing WHAT THE HECK would happen next.  I just knew the heroes would emerge victorious.  What happened in between would just ‘magically’ write itself, right?  Right?

You be the judge.

Here, in all of its uncorrected glory (I left all typos and such intact for history’s sake) is my Dungeons & Dragon- inspired masterpiece (ahem.):

Treasure of the Enchanted Forest

By Tom Troupe (age 12)

Long ago in medieval times in the village of Kirak a meeting was being held.  All of the villagers from the village attended.  The chief advisor, Brundon was speaking.

“You are all here for a reason,” he began.  “Our supplies are short, and the kingdom of Dimon demands that if we want any food or supplies, they must get money in return.  Since we barely have enough to support us for a week or two, we must find treasure or gold pieces in order to get supplies.  So we shall pick someone to go on this quest.”

Then he pulled out a stiff folded paper.  “The name is Logan!” he shouted.  “Logan, please come forward.”

Logan walked toward the chief advisor.

“Logan will you go to look for treasure for your village?”

“I accept this mission, and if it does not bother you, I would very much like to bring Landon the Elf from the kingdom of Nitopa.”

“Yes by all means you may.  But I warn you: stay away from the Enchanted Forest, for the evil wizard, Zindor, guards treasures of unspeakable value there.”

Soon Logan packed his gear: a two-handed sword, a crossbow with 50 arrows, a mace, chainmail armour, shield and his magic black cape.  He also took a large sack to carry treasure in.  He then mounted his black horse and headed for Nitopa.

Shortly after leaving Nitopa, Logan decided to go to the Enchanted Forest, even though they were forbidden not to go there.  Logan thought if there was treasure of unspeakable value, his village deserved it.

At about sunset they reached the forest.  “Logan,” said Landon.  “we should camp here for the night.  We could search for treasure the next day.”

They set camp and soon fell asleep in the furs Landon brought.  The oak tree they slept under towered above them.  But then they didn’t realize they were sleeping on a trap door.  Logan rolled over and hit a small root jutting up from the ground.

Suddenly the ground they were sleeping on collapsed under them.  Logan woke just before they started descending underground.  Logan reached up and pulled the large sack they put their weapons in.  Now they were falling down a large black pit.  Suddenly, they hit the bottom and both lost consciousness.

When they awoke they found themselves in a lighted hallway.  Logan got up and helped Landon to his feet.  They took their weapons and looked around.

Then Logan pointed to the ceiling.  “Look up at the ceiling.  We fell through the small hole way up there.”

Then Landon yelled, “Hurry!! This place is collapsing.”

They searched for a doorway but found nothing except an old chain with a skeleton hanging on it.  Rocks and spider webs fell from the ceiling.  They both dodged the rocks.  “We’ve got to get out of here,” shouted Logan.

Logan and Landon raced to the wall with the chain and skeleton on it.  Smoke filled the room and the two warriors began to choke.  They pulled on the chain helplessly.

Then the sound of scraping stone filled the collapsing room.  A small round doorway appeared behind the skeleton.  Landon followed Logan past the skeleton and through the door-way.  Just as they entered, the whole ceiling of the collapsing room came down.

They continued down the small corridor until they got to a room with a lava pool in it.  The pool was as wide as the room itself.  The only way out was a rope at the other side of the pool leading to a cave about a hundred feet up.

“How are we supposed to get to the cave, Logan?” Landon asked.

Logan pulled out his crossbow, put in an arrow and said, “Do you have any rope?”

Landon handed Logan his long rope.  And Logan tied the rope to the arrow.  He aimed the crossbow towards the top of the cave and shot.  The arrow whizzed over the pit and hit its’ mark.  Logan pulled to make sure it was safe.  Then he started to climb up the rope until he got to the cave enterance.  He climbed in and signaled down to Landon to climb up.  Landon began to climb but halfway up the rope he fell down towards the pit.  Logan saw his friend fall and took his magic cap and threw it down to him.  The cape sped by and wrapped around Landon’s neck.

Then Landon and the cape floated up towards the cave enterance.  Logan pulled Landon in the cave and then put black cape back on.  Logan climbed through the cave with Landon close behind.

While Logan was walking he hit his foot on a rock, and tripped.  He landed on a smooth surface and discovered he had landed on a slide.  He slid down the slide faster and faster; vines were rushing overhead.  Rocks came loose and slid ahead of Logan.  Logan listened to hear for the rocks to hit the bottom.  He strained and heard a loud sizzling noise.  Logan thought there must be an acid pit or something down there.  Logan reached up to grab a vine.  His hand clung to a vine and stopped sliding.

“Landon!” he called.  His voice echoed through the tunnel.

“Yes?”  Landon replied.  “Logan are you okay?”

“Just fine.  Can you get me outta here?”

Landon threw his rope down to Logan.  Then Logan began to climb up the rope.  Finally he gets to the top and they continued through the cave.  They reached an opening at the end of the cave.  Then they both stepped in looking for any traps.  Logan noticed a piece of torn paper on the ground.  Carefully he picked it up.  Then he read what was on it.  It said:

THESE FOUR DOORS LEAD TO TREASURES UNTOLD

CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE TO FIND THE SECRETS TOLD

Logan looked toward the corners of the room.  Four doors where in each corner.  All the doors where normal except an old moldy one to the left corner.  Logan walked over to the door and opened it.  Landon followed Logan through the doorway.  Logan found a rolled up piece of paper.  It said:

NOW ENTER THE MAGICAL HALLWAY.

They looked down the hallway.  It looked normal to them.  Logan shrugged his shoulders and went down the hallway to a dead end.

Suddenly the floor slanted towards a hole in the wall the two warriors slid down into a hole.  The slid to the end of the hole and ended up in a room full of bones and rags.  Then the floor goes back to its original spot.  A doorway directly in front of them had an inscription of a diamond on it.  Just then a red monster with bloody fangs came out from under a pile of bones.

It came after Landon but Logan hit it with his sword.  The monster down dead.  Landon then yelled “There is a key on the monster’s belt.”

Logan reached down and took the key off the dead monsters belt.

Logan walked toward to locked door and thrust the key into the lock.  The sound of scraping stone filled the room.  The door slid open.

Logan and Landon went through the door just as it closed.

The room they were in was dark and the odor of rotting bones filled the room.  Landon found a piece of wood and lit a torch.  The room lit up and they saw an altar with a diamond in the middle of it.  Logan approached the diamond and picked up.

Under the diamond was a scroll.  Logan put the diamond in his sack and picked up the scroll.  He unrolled it and read the words out loud.

“THE ONE WHO TAKES THE DIAMOND OF THE BONE

WILL REALEASE THE MONSTER OF STONE.”

Just then the altar crumbled, reavealing a pit.  Out of the pit came a monster made of rocks.  Logan remembered that rock monsters cannot be destroyed.  He ran past the rock monster and jumped over the pit.  Landon did the same and headed towards Logan.

Logan reached a wall with old curtains and rugs on it.  Logan took out his sword and slashed the rugs and old curtains off the wall.  Behind the rugs was a skeleton.  The skeleton came alive and attacked Logan.  It’s sword hit Logan’s shoulder and caused it to bleed.  Landon took out his sword and hit the skeleton in the legs.  The skeleton then fell to pieces.

The rock monster realized that the two warriors were behind him, and attacked Landon and Logan.  Logan took his mace and swung it skillfully at the monster.  Then the monster paused and crumbled into a small pile of rocks.  Logan stared in amazement at the pile.  Then he said, “C’mon let’s get outta here!”

They searched the room and found a ring in the floor.  Landon pulled at the ring and a door appeared.  Logan went in first with Landon close behind.  They went down a shaft to a room full of gold and heaps of treasure.  At the far end of the room was a huge rock chair with a pile of rags on it.  On the ceiling of the room was a crack with sun shining through it.

Landon ran over to a gold heap of swords, chalices, and bars.  He picked up a chalice and put it in his sack.  Almost instantly the rags on the chair glowed and an old man with a look of evil appeared.

It was Zindor the evil wizard of the Enchanted Forest.

Zindor mumbled some words and ten fireballs flew through the air.  Logan called to Landon.  “Get over here, behind my shield.”  The wizard then launched seven lightning bolts.

Two of the lightning bolts hit Logan’s shield causing it to split in half.

“Run for cover,” shouted Logan.  Landon and Logan ran, dodging fire balls and lightning bolts, to a pile of treasure.  From here they could see an acid pit behind Zindor’s chiar.  Logan and Landon made a plan.  Then Logan shouted; “Okay, ready?  Go!”

Landon raced to Zindor and wrestled him.  The evil wizard mumbled some strange words and his gray scaggly fingernails became steel and sharp as a razor.  Zindor lunged and swiped Landon’s arm.  His arm welled with pain and started to bleed heavily.  Landon pushed him close to the acid pit but couldn’t push him over the pit.  Zindor swiped again and slashed Landon’s chest.  This time he only scratched it.  Logan saw Landon suffer from his wounds and yelled; “Landon move out of the way!”

Landon heard him and moved.  The wizard launched two fireballs at Logan.  They hit him and he started aflame.  Logan took his mace and swung it several times over his head.  Soon it was twirling faster and fast.  Logan let go of it and the mace flew through the air and towards the wizard.

The wizard stared helplessly as the chain of the mace wrapped itself around his neck.  The wizard, surprised, walked backwards and fell into the acid pit.  His scream filled the room but ceased after a loud sizzling noise.

Logan still aflame, fell to the ground.  Landon rushed over to Logan and smothered the flames with his cloak.  Logan got up and looked around.  Landon was drying the blood from his arm.

“Landon,  you okay?”  Logan asked.

“Sure.  I’ll be fine,” Landon replied.

“Let’s get out of here,” Logan said.

The two collected huge of treasure, then searched for a way out.  Logan pulled on a chain and a door appeared and opened, reaveling the outdoors and the Enchanted Forest.

Logan grabbed his sack of treasure and left with Landon.  Just after they stepped outside, the door slid shut.  They turned around in surprise.  Smoke came from the cracks of the door.  Then flames began to start the door on fire.  Then the whole area began to start aflame.  Logan shouted; “Landon head for the horses!  Hurry!”

Logan and Landon ran to find the horses.  Flames seemed to burn the trees to the side and front of them.  One tree fell, roaring with flames.  Landon’s and Logan’s path was blocked Landon yelled: “How are we going to get over this treet?”

Logan threw Landon over the tree.  Then Logan made a running jump and made it over the tree.  Just after Logan jumped the tree, the tree exploded.  The horses were in view now and they raced to them.  They reached the horses with flames right behind them.  They jumped on the horses and headed out of the forest.  Trees fell in front of the horses but the horses jumped over them.

Soon they were out of the forest and the whole forest exploded in flames.  The village of Kirak was in view now and the horses scrambled to the scent of home.  As the two warriors arrived in the village, the chief advisor, Brundon, came over to them.

“Did you find any treasure Logan?” asked Brundon.

Logan opened his sack and Landon opened his.  Treasure poured out of the sacks, and the village people came out to celebrate and thank the two warriors.

And all was well in Kirak.

T.T.

1984 / 1985

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Now, I’m not sure why I put both 1984 and 1985 on there.  I almost wonder if I wrote part of it on New Year’s Eve and finished it the next day.  Who knows?  I just remember thinking, at the end of it:

I made this.  This was an idea in my head and now, in my awesome handwriting, it has become something with pages, awesome cover art and staples in it.  I could put this on a scale and weigh it!

All these years later, it’s still a bit of a rush.