Magic Ball: the Billionaire in Ranch

96 The Cure and Secrets of The World Tree

The enormous tree, to which Noah named the World Tree, stood tall and mighty. Noah inclined his head, observing the water that came out from its wide trunk. The water that had done miracles on the soil back at the Stream Ranch flowed effortlessly on the magical lake, and Noah’s happy to have been blessed by its richness.

Unlike the usual mossy-green, the Magic Ball’s pond was iridescent—almost as if it was transparent. His hands inside his pocket, Noah watched the fish’s movements. They appeared as if they were floating in a clear blue sky instead of swimming. He amused himself with their fluid motions.

The night before, Noah had the transcribed print-out in his hand. He spent the entire night typing and converting symbols that revealed the World Tree’s functionality. He had a hard time at first as the characters written inside were smudged, and that perhaps it had already faded through time.

Pressing his back on the sturdy tree bark, Noah sat at the other side of the World Tree. The chirping of birds and the lively trickling of water behind him made him tranquil. He read through the pages one by one as Cole napped beside him. At that moment, Noah knew there was so much more about the World Tree. He thinks it could be as functional as that of a coconut tree. Understanding the transcribed pages made Noah’s hunch validated.

According to what Zeus wrote in his book, he deemed the World Tree the most prized gem inside the Magic Ball. From its bark to the tip of its roots, the World Tree has all sorts of functions. The book mentioned one of them: the fruits held magic. However, it wasn’t stated what kind of magic it possesses.

Noah stood and picked up the fallen fruit on the ground. He opened his mouth and bit on it. “Sweet,” he said with a stuffed cheek, “texture of an apple, but tastes like cotton candy.” He threw the seeds away and had it gobbled within a minute. It was delicious! Noah knew the fruit could pass by as the main ingredient in a dessert. He could probably introduce this as an apple hybrid and sell it for a reasonable price in the market.

He didn’t notice the unconscious nod he gave himself when he thought of the fruits. Noah shifted from his position, and this caused Cole’s awakening.

Cole jolt awake from his nap. The furball stretched his long limbs and nuzzled his head on Noah’s thighs. Noah smiled a bit as he caressed his perked ears.

“Awake now, are we?” he said, “we’ll depart from here in a bit.”

The sun was already descending behind the mountains—a sign that Noah needed to head back. He clutched the papers in his hand. Noah concluded that it was by far his latest discoveries about the hidden secrets of the Magic Ball. He would have to pause now and head back to the ranch to see if Snowflake’s been eating her fair share of meals. Diana promised him yesterday that she would drop by. When he checked his phone the following morning, Noah hadn’t expected to receive a text from her, telling him that she would come by later in the afternoon. It’s been a while since her last trip, and Noah knew he shouldn’t overlook such a visit.

Noah’s eyes drifted toward his wristwatch. He found the clock to be unreliable inside the Magic Ball. It would just speed-up as time inside runs faster than when he’s back in the real world. So, he opted to bring an hourglass filled with sand instead. The hourglass didn’t speed-up the way any regular clocks would. That way, Noah would know how many minutes he had been inside the Magic Ball. Once the sand reaches the other end of the hourglass, a minute has already passed. It was Noah’s cue to flip it back. He repeated this throughout his stay.

According to his calculations, Diana should already be on her way. Noah decided that by now, it was time that he should transport back into his room. He began to close his eyes, his hands landing on Cole’s head. He felt the dog squirm from his touch, but Noah eased him to his lap.

“It’s time to go back,” he said in a whisper. Cole eventually nuzzled closer to him.

Noah began breathing in and out while Cole’s ears perked higher than it did before. Soon, he felt his body lighten. Delicate as a feather, but faster than the wind.

“Here we go—”

Cole jumped away from him as he landed on his knees inside his office room. Noah opened his eyes and quickly searched for the Magic Ball. He was relieved when he found it beside him, sprawled on the red carpet.

The clock above rang as the more extended arm faced the number twelve. Noah cursed silently—he placed the Magic Ball on his bed as he grabbed his newsboy hat and bolted toward the door.

Voices resounded below the staircase. Noah doubled his strides, a hand placed over his newsboy hat.  He didn’t mind if his footsteps would create unlikely sounds. Thomas will scold him if he doesn’t arrive at the front door in time.

“Damn,” he began, “I need to find a better way to monitor the time down there.”

One last step and Noah would finally arrive at his destination. His heart quickened when he spotted a blond woman with a high ponytail. It was definitely Diana talking to a calm Thomas. It was embarrassing to think that he was late for their appointment.

“Sorry,” he blurted out once he arrived within their vicinity. “I had more paper works than I expected.”

Diana quickly turned around as soon as she heard Noah’s voice. The heart was hammering its chest, demanding it is freed. This made Noah take a step back. He couldn’t face the woman properly after all these months, not hearing from each other. But Noah remembered Diana was also the reason he met his current lover. The memory of that night made him sick.

The guilt and regret must have crossed his face as Diana c****d her head to the side, concern flashing on her bright, cerulean eyes. Noah’s frozen as his tongue rolled at the back of his mouth. What must he do? He knew he must say something to her. He should not have been feeling this way in the first place.

Then, he heard Thomas clear his throat. The older man had his hands behind his back as he watched Noah with a thoughtful look.

Noah glanced at him, his heartbeat running wild. It was his way of asking for his help. Undoubtedly, the older man would have known what to do. After all, he was the only one who had sensed the situation between him and Diana.

On the other hand, Diana didn’t move from her place. A smile appeared on her naturally pink lips when she beheld Noah’s face.

“It’s been a while,” she moved her hands inside her pocket, “how’s Snowflake?”

The mention of the horse rang a bell inside Noah’s head. It jolted a sense of relief, and it brought him back to their primary goal: have the horse be nursed back to its healthy state. Of course, he knew Diana wouldn’t do the manual work. Noah viewed her as the cure to Snowflake’s sadness.

* * *

The moment Diana entered the dim stables, there was one particular sound that made her run like she was being chased. Diana quickly opened Snowflakes' cubicle as Noah watched from afar. Thomas, on the other hand, trailed behind Diana. Noah made him do it to make sure that the mare wouldn’t cause any harmful reactions.

Warm hands landed on his back. Noah jerked away. For a second, he got scared. But when he saw Wynn and Nancy heading inside the stables, he found himself smiling at how much they cared about Snowflake.

Nancy stopped beside Noah as Wynn headed straight for his father.

“Aren’t you coming inside?” she calmly asked. She then gestured her hand toward Snowflake’s cubicle, “Diana’s already there.”

Nancy wasn’t aware of their past. He’s sure of that. Or is she? Noah had no clue. Either way, he began walking to where they were gathered. Noah’s eyes widened when he beheld what was happening inside Snowflake’s booth.

Diana was seated, her tears at the ends of her eyes. She was trying not to cry as Snowflake laid her head down her lap. The mare had tears falling its two, dim eyes. Noah proved right to his suspicion. Diana was the remedy—the antidote that redefined the mare’s depressed state. 

Once again, Noah felt the ache in his chest, and this time, he couldn’t help but smile. Nancy mimicked Diana’s position. She, too, kneeled and gave the horse a few carrots. Noah was glad that in no time, the mare chewed at it within seconds. 

“Thank you,” he managed to say.

Diana lifted her head and smiled, “Can I visit her every weekend?”

Thomas stepped beside Noah and Wynn. He didn’t look at Noah. His eyes fixed on the eating mare. She was now lively and hungry—a trait of hers that should have never disappeared.

“Yes,” Noah answered with his half-smile, “please do.”

* * *

That night, peace was attained in Noah’s bed. He felt as if he was floating in midair. He’s happy that finally, Snowflake had recuperated her health, and hopefully, she would be in good shape in no time.

Noah tossed to his left, and his eyes found the pile of transcribed prints he placed down on the table beside the bed. He figured he must have left it there when he got back from the Magic Ball. For a while, he thought about what to do about it.

He sat upright as he grabbed the papers and placed them on his lap. The compelling pull of wanting it to be read was there, and he couldn’t relinquish it from its grasp. Noah read every line. The flicker of the bedside lamp didn’t even budge him.

Along with the paragraph about the World Tree’s fruits, Noah discovered something about its bark. He hummed and looked and reread it—just to be sure that he had understood it as how it was intended to be.

The branches, he read in his mind, is an essential part of the World Tree. Noah continued scanning the next page. I have long discovered that it bears a juice that would serve as a means of preservation when extracted. I had used it mainly for the meat that I store in jars. Also, in meals, I kept for the long winter ahead of us. 

It would appear that Zeus used some kind of juice produced by the tree’s bark in some form of preservative for his foods in winter. Noah decided he would cut a part of the World Tree’s branches and have the juice examined in the nearby lab downtown. Maybe he could grow his own World Tree back on the farm. It was a possibility he would like to consider, yet, there were circumstances involved. Such would be the condition of the soil in the Stream Ranch. Does it much the one inside the Magic Ball?

Noah would find out soon. He continued reading on the fifth page.

During autumn, I climbed the mountains, and it would seem that animals of rare species would appear on the way.

From this passage, Noah remembered when he went camping with Fitch, Cora, and Joanna on the mountain beside his Stream Ranch. Animals of rare species kept appearing before him and Joanna. Noah didn’t think it through, but the paragraph he just read might reveal something important.

He continued reading.

It would seem that whoever owns the Magic Ball there would emit some kind of charm on him. This charm attracts animals, especially when they are inside the forest or climbing in the mountains. On many occasions, I have personally experienced this and have taken some of the animals that appeared before me. I raised them on my farm and soon had their milk or meat sold to the nearby village market.

Noah yawned, but he understood that much—that there was no coincidence that he had been encountering many animals in local's forests and mountains. Did he wonderd if someday, these encounters would be a curse or a blessing?

He put down the papers back on the bedside table. Soon, his eyes shut tight, the darkness claiming his senses.