The Ice Cavern
By A. J. Norton
(From the series ‘Bailey and the Bear’)
or play the audio here
Length = 23min 25sec Ages: 6 to 100+
The Ice Cavern By A. J. Norton © Copyright A. J. Norton
STUCK!
"It's no use looking at me Bailey!" Chaise shouted angrily "I can't do much about it now."
"You really are a pain sis," Bailey sighed "why won't you try?"
Chaise was stuck in the pond; it was going to take a miracle to get her out.
"Mr. Solomon told us not to skate on this pond," groaned Bailey "and he was right."
"Bit late now," Chaise could feel her teeth chattering. "Go and get help Bailey!" she cried "I'm freezing myself to death here!"
"Will you be able to hold on until I return?" Bailey looked concerned.
"Yeah," nodded Chaise.
She had to wait and watched Bailey as he carefully went back over the icy pond.
He trampled over the crispy snow ignoring the crunch, crunch of his wellingtons. Chaise was fourteen and he knew she could be a pain, but she was his big sister and big sisters were allowed to be nuisances. Who would help Bailey and Chaise now though?
Bailey scanned the landscape, all snow and ice covering the big trees and the hills. Living on a farm could be fun, but not when you were so isolated.
Out of nowhere, a white bear came bounding up to Bailey right up to his face.
"Oh my, my, my," spluttered the bear "you're Bailey, aren't you?"
"Yeah but......bears don't talk," Bailey frowned wondering if he was dreaming.
"No time to waste Bailey boy," the insistent bear grabbed his hand with its grubby, white paw and urged him to come along; "your sister's in trouble."
"Chaise?" repeated Bailey "is she?"
"No, no, no," urged the Bear "the Ice Cream Witch has taken her prisoner."
"But she was trapped beneath the icy pond, halfway anyway," Bailey didn't understand.
"Just come with me Bailey," the Bear insisted.
Over fields and rivers of ice ran Bailey and the Bear until they came to a cave, which led to a stranger place of ice and snow. The Bear took Bailey over this weird place full of coloured snow looking rather like flavours of ice cream.
"This is the Ice Cream Witch's doing," the Bear pointed out the different colours on the white snow.
"Why did she capture my sister?" Bailey asked the Bear who still continued to lead him across this bizarre land.
"To become the new Ice Cream Witch as this one's retiring," the Bear explained.
"Chaise will never succumb," Bailey gritted his teeth as he felt the icy wind prickling him through his layers of clothing.
"She may have no choice," was the Bear's reply.
They came to a halt in an unusual place made entirely of ice; there wasn't a speck of snow anywhere. In front of the two travellers stood an ice palace made of sparkling, silvery icicles. Bailey could only smile at the finery of this place, although it was nothing compared to the strange person coming out of the palace. He had long, brown hair, wore a fine, blue tunic and had grey eyes. In Chaise's lingo, he'd be considered "fit" and kind of "cool", he was handsome in his own way.
The Bear bowed low and Bailey did the same. This handsome person was obviously a figure of royalty in this strange land.
"Your highness," began the Bear "I bring you the boy Bailey who will rid us of the Ice Cream Witch and her Cones of Crushing."
"Welcome Bailey," the Prince smiled to the boy "I am Prince Curtis, lord of the land of Ice and Snow and keeper of the Ice Cavern."
"Can you help me rescue my sister, sir?" Bailey asked.
"Yes, I suppose so," Curtis replied "but I'd like a reward of Chaise's fair hand in marriage."
"Er sure," agreed Bailey. He knew that Chaise would kill him if he decided on her future. She was already hard work as it was.
Prince Curtis took Bailey and the Bear inside his palace and they were given a delicious feast in their honour. The courtiers consisted of penguins, seals, polar bears, Arctic foxes and one or two walruses. The only difference was that they wore fine garments of silver and white and could talk and think just like the Bear.
Bailey looked out of the palace hall window wondering where Chaise was and what would happen next........
THE ICE CREAM WITCH
"Ah-ha-ha-ha!" cackled the Ice Cream Witch "you will be the new witch of this land of Ice and Snow."
"No way," Chaise remained defiant "I'm going home!" She looked at her surroundings, an ice cave with icicles jutting out of the ceiling with white walls and a white floor. Chaise thought that she might get a headache from all that whiteness.
"I don't think so my dear," the Witch said slyly. She looked like a cartoon character with her frizzy rainbow coloured hair, rainbow eyes, button nose and thin lips. She was clad in a pair of badly dyed jeans and a pink tee-shirt with a frilly rainbow cape over her clothes. The Witch also had bare feet much to Chaise's surprise.
"Aren't your feet cold?" Chaise asked her curiously.
"No, I'm warm-blooded," the Witch replied.
Chaise pondered over this answer whilst the Witch paced up and down the cavern as if looking her captive over further. Yes, this was a pretty girl blonde curly hair, green-grey eyes and rather up-to-date jeans and a thick padded silver jacket. Chaise felt cold in this place especially since her bottom half was still drying off from being trapped in an icy pond earlier. The Witch was going to speak again and she wondered what the annoying Creature would say now!
"It's my son's fault you see," the Witch sniffed, "he drove me to it. I told him that I wouldn't put up with his odd behaviour any longer. He's so arrogant at times you know. Do you have any brothers or sisters at all?"
"Yeah but what's it to you?" glared Chaise. How dared this Witch try to justify her behaviour!
"Why can't you be nicer to me?" the Witch sighed, "honestly you young people are all the same." With that she rolled her eyes and continued pacing up and down her decorative lair.
Chaise decided that her luck couldn't get any worse. First of all, she'd been stuck in an icy pond now she was in a weird land with a nutty, old woman trying to make her into a witch. Where was Bailey? Did he know? Would he care?
She hadn't been the best big sister in the world to Bailey, but she'd tried her hardest. It didn't seem fair that she'd end up as a witch with bad dress sense. She was far too ambitious for that to happen!
MOSTLY ABOUT PENGUINS
It looked like it was going to be a gorgeous winter- sun morning. The sunbeams made the ice and snow sparkle like morning dew and Bailey felt completely refreshed. Bailey felt that it was most kind of the inhabitants of this ice palace to give him a proper bed with soft pillows and a warm duvet plus cosy pyjamas and to add to it, a hot water bottle! He'd just had breakfast in bed, waited on by a chatty penguin named Spencer and now he was ready to rescue Chaise.
The Bear had got up earlier than Bailey and was out playing snowballs with his friends. Bailey found it odd that the Bear didn't have a name, but it was up to Prince Curtis to give the Bear a name. On the subject of Prince Curtis; he was a strange fellow who didn't appear bothered about his royal duties and seemed more concerned with his appearance and wardrobe and now his new bride!
The questions that Bailey had had to answer about his sister were unbelievable ranging from how she applied her lipstick to how she liked her snowy cornflakes and what her favourite shape snowball was!
Bailey knew that Chaise would never marry that pompous Prince and why should she?! As if anyone back home could predict being captured by an Ice Cream Witch!
"Come on Bailey boy," the Bear suddenly burst into his room "time to go, the penguins are all ready."
"Penguins?" repeated Bailey.
"To eat the Ice Cream Witch's cones of course," sighed the Bear. Bailey followed the bear in disbelief and more confusion.
Outside the palace stood ten young, enthusiastic penguins included Spencer.
"We're so eager to accompany you, Bailey," Spencer wobbled up to him "you can't imagine how my brothers and I are feeling. We are excited about it, we are so......."
"Silence!" came Curtis's voice above the noisy din of penguin chatter. Penguins were loud birds and had to be given a firm hand according to Curtis.
"Ohh yes, yes, yes," chortled the penguins happily.
"Now be off and don't return until the Ice Cream Witch is banished," Curtis strode off back to the palace leaving a rather bemused Bailey!
No armour, no weapons, no plan as such just a bossy bear and ten pesky penguins to rescue or attempt to rescue Chaise from a powerful Witch!
THE JOURNEY
The party journeyed past the Ice Palace and over a flat surface of frost to what looked like a flat surface of pink snow.
"This is the Pink Snow Park," the Bear explained to Bailey "it's just a park of pink snow, nothing much to look at."
"It's so pink," grimaced Bailey. Pink also happened to be Chaise's favourite colour especially this sickly, pastel shade.
The park was just a flat blanket of pink snow consisting of different shades of the colour, but pink nonetheless. It didn't appear to be too bad to cross at first but just then a strong wind started to blow bringing with it, a dust cloud of yellow bits of snow. The penguins all began to moan and poor Bailey couldn't see a thing.
"The Banana desert," the Bear shouted over the howling wind and whining penguins. "Let's all hold hands to cross it."
So everybody took hold of each other's hand or wing or paw to journey over this slippery desert of snow. Bailey felt that it was far too bitter to be a true desert. It seemed to take forever to cross the desert but then the landscape changed quickly into watery snow or slush. The slush was grey just like the stuff by the sides of busy roads and the party had to kind of stamp to go over it.
"What's this, the slushy swamp?" Bailey asked the Bear annoyed that he now had wet feet to match his frozen body.
"How'd you guess!" Spencer piped up.
"Yeah, you're brainy," another penguin commented. Bailey got comments galore from the penguins, but at least their silliness kept this part of the journey bearable.
"We're nearly there people," the Bear said at last.
"But what do we do?" Bailey asked "we don't have a plan."
"No problem," smiled the Bear assuringly "just leave it to me."
Bailey groaned inwardly as the party reached a huge block of ice and before they could stop themselves.... Kabam! The floor beneath them opened and they all slid on an icy death slide to the ice cavern below.
THE RESCUE
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" came an awful voice over the groans of the bruised travellers who were in a heap on the icy floor. "You thought you'd rescue your sister happily now you can join my Cones of Crushing."
"Bailey!" came Chaise's voice from the back of the Ice Cavern.
"Chaise!" cried Bailey. The siblings ran to one another and hugged.
"Look out!" shouted Chaise as a load of horrible ice cream cones emerged from the shadows and surrounded the party. They were huge ice creams with stupid faces on them, they looked like a five year old child had drawn funny facial expressions on their cones.
"Seize them," ordered the Witch "and put them in the Cone Unit."
The Cones attempted to grab the Bear and the unfortunate penguins, but the Bear was too quick for them. He dodged out of the way of a chocolate cone and stormed up to the silly Witch.
"Penguins," cried the Bear "do what you do best!"
"Yes, yes, yes," chorused the penguins who began to eat the huge cones at once.
"Weren't they alive?" gasped Chaise in horror.
"No, they were just ice-cream cones under a spell. They weren't any more alive than the ice creams you eat in your world," the Bear explained over the sounds of eating noises.
"You!" cried the Witch turning on the Bear "you always spoil everything."
"Mother, please," the Bear began "you can't keep on doing this."
"Mother?!" Bailey looked surprised.
"Yes," sighed the Bear "she's my mother and turned me into a bear for life, because she thinks I'm useless."
"You are useless," the Witch started.
"Sure," the Bear laughed "where's your army now?"
The greedy penguins had digested all the ice cream cones. They joined in the Bear's laughter, as did Bailey and Chaise. The Witch shrieked; she was so miserable as she rushed up to everybody in the Ice Cavern begging them to stop laughing. It was almost like hysteria had taken over, except the Witch who ended up fleeing from the Ice Cavern in panic.
"Has she gone?" Chaise was the first to speak, as she looked after the Witch running off into the distance.
"Yes, she's banished by pure laughter," the Bear replied "for now anyway."
Chaise thanked everyone for rescuing her and hugged her surprised brother once more. Bailey blushed, this was a first being complimented by his own sister!
"Let's use the portal to return to the Palace," suggested Spencer "we penguins feel too pooped to plod back."
"Why couldn't we have used the portal in the first place?" piped up one of the other penguins. Everybody looked at the Bear with questioning eyes.
"Because the Ice Cream Witch controlled it," the Bear explained and without any further comment he grabbed hold of a large icicle hanging above his head and the room spun round and round. In no time at all, they had returned to the Ice Palace after landing in front of it again!
THE WEDDING
Prince Curtis and the court were so grateful to the party for rescuing his bride, Chaise that he threw a wondrous feast in their honour. He was determined to marry Chaise before the day was through.
The feast was full of merriment and silly dancing from ice tap dance to snow walking. The banquet was exquisite
ranging from snowball cakes to ice pops and ice creams of all flavours. The penguins did not fancy any ice creams, but they managed the rest of the food!
Bailey felt happy, but didn't like the fact that his sister was clad in a bridal outfit.
"She's got to pretend," the Bear whispered to Bailey "just don't drink the wine."
"Okay," Bailey nodded. He knew the Bear well enough to sense that there was another surprise coming. He suspected the clever Bear had done something to the wine.
Chaise reluctantly took Curtis's hand and the head walrus offered a toast to the happy couple. Prince Curtis and the wedding guests all gulped their wine and dropped off to sleep at once.
Whilst all this commotion was going on, Bailey and the Bear had snuck off outside to wait for Chaise to appear.
The penguins were all waiting outside as well. It was an emotional farewell to the ten of them especially to Spencer.
"Take care Bailey and look after the Bear," Spencer gave Bailey a hug."I'll be back soon Spencer," the Bear laughed at the sad looking penguins who all hung their beaks down in shame.
"Not if Prince Curtis has his way," sighed another penguin.
"Don't fret bear," Bailey smiled "we'll sort it somehow."
"Bye you two," the penguins hobbled off away as snow started to sprinkle on the land. The two companions waited for Chaise to appear.
THE ESCAPE
Chaise hitched up her long, silver skirts and ran as soon as the wedding guests fell asleep. She was determined to make it out of that palace and back home.
Bailey and the Bear were outside the palace, awaiting her arrival. As quick as a fast steed, the three bolted across the land of Ice and Snow, slipping and sliding along the way. They weren't going to let a bit of ice put them off.
"Nearly home guys," gasped Chaise feeling tired and wretched.
"Yeah," panted Bailey as they ran through the cave in glee. The Bear hung back sadly as if he knew that he couldn't go back to his homeland.
"Come on Bear," urged Bailey "let's go!"
"I don't belong in your world, Bailey boy," the Bear sighed "I live here and don't wish to leave."
"But Curtis's anger will be like nothing we've known," Chaise said worrying about the Bear and her brother's new friendship being over before it began.
"Sorry, but I live here," the Bear was defiant.
"No," Bailey grabbed the Bear's paw and yanked him out of the cave between the two worlds and into the world of humans.
"Now what Bailey?" Chaise sighed.
"He can stay with us, Chaise," Bailey said firmly.
"Looks like I don't have a choice," groaned the poor Bear.
The three ventured onto the farm talking about the modern world of digital, internet and mobile phones. It would be only fair to say the Bear tried to fit into the earthly way of life, but that is another story..............................
THE END
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Bailey meets a bear in a land of Ice and Snow to rescue his big sister from an Ice Cream Witch of all people!