People of the Forgotten Time

THE FAMILY

EMDEE WYSE, aka Giant Tamer, aka Peace Girl, aka Queen of the Exoticats (but only to herself!). She wrote The Box and sent it through a wormhole in time to the present day. The story starts in the year of the Unicorn when she was 7. Born in the year of the cat, she was “lucky, agile, able, independent and quite mysterious.” Her hair was fiery golden red. She looked a lot like her mother, but her eyes were vivid blue like her dad’s. Her flower was the Starflower. Her hand skill was playing the flute. Her talent was climbing. She climbed her first tree when she was three. She enjoyed music, cooking, reading, and playing with her dog Rascal. She was brave, clever, kind, and more magic than she knew.

TROULA The Wyse Woman of the Endless Forest. Emdee’s mother. She was the most powerful Wyse Woman of her age. Emdee gives examples of her Mum’s singing spells that have power over animals (like Harry, the horse), things (like the trees and even fire), people’s senses (like the fragrant polish), and even Emdee’s memory. Troula was taller than Branco. Her hair was long and red and flecked with gold like her unusual yellow eyes. All we know about her family is she lived with her grandmother in Fair Meadow and a herd of unicorns. She was a descendant of the legendary Kimikula (AT9).

We do not know her age, but we know she was born in the year of the Bee. She was a “busy, beautiful, beginner of things, sweet but could sting”. Troula loved the old ways and did not like the changes that were happening around her. She was creative and caring. She had many talents and a past she did not talk about. Some said Wyse Women were witches, but they were more than that.

The first Wyse Women were a wild bunch. They were the leaders of nomadic tribes that roamed free in the early days of life on Earth. They discovered the Magic stored in Unicorn horns. The magic made them powerful. They could not get enough of it. They sent men to hunt these harmless creatures. The last unicorns fled the planet, and the world froze. Too late, those Wyse Women realised they had brought the Earth to the brink of disaster. They tried everything they could think of to make the world green again. They may have created the Door. They were said to have all kinds of magic, but they did not end the ice age. It was Kimikula and her singing magic that saved the world. She enticed a unicorn back to Earth, to live with her herd of white horses. A new generation of unicorns was born. Wherever they roamed, the ice melted, and the world grew green again.

BRANCO BOSCO Emdee’s father. His father was Dro Bosco, a carpenter. His mother was a horsewoman Ragla Bangara. He was thin and wiry with a wild mop of black hair. Troula said he looked like a chimney brush! He had vivid blue eyes. Born in the year of the bear, he was “strong and kind. Loved the forest and solitude”. Troula said he would “rather carve wood than talk to people!” He enjoyed making things, growing things, and looking after animals. He was tough, brave, skilled, and patient. He was a bit of a worrier, but he had a ready laugh. His talent was his unique ability to communicate with Magic Redwood Trees. That was how he made their kitchen table.

RAGLA & MARA BANGARA Branco’s mother and Galdo’s mother were sisters. Their great grandma was the famous Dassa of Bangan. It was said that in a time of terrible drought, she led her starving people from the oasis of Bangan, across the parched Grasslands, to the sea.

She spent her family’s fortune on hiring two ships to take her people and her magnificent horses across the Great Sea. When they arrived in Safeport they were unwelcome. Some tried to stop them landing, but Bastin Bull, a well-known strongman and boxing champion, came to their aid, and the crowd let them land. When they saw the magnificent horses, they all wanted to be friends with the horse people! It was the first time such horses had crossed the sea. Even after the long voyage, their coats gleamed like polished metal! In time, the horse people took their horses, their painted caravans, and scarlet tents and went on their travels. Dassa did not go with them. She stayed in Safeport with Bastin Bull and opened a new stable. Bastin was a blacksmith, and Dassa bred horses. When they were old, they retired to Bangan and left the stables to their son. Three generations later, Ragla and Mara inherited the stables when their parents retired to Bangan. When Galdo was born, his father was at sea and knew nothing about it. Mara would not tell Ragla his name until he came home. She thought it would bring him bad luck if she did. Sadly, it was Mara who had bad luck. She fell off a horse and died before her sailor came home from the sea. Ragla looked after Galdo and ran the stables on her own. Then, she married Dro Bosco and sold the stables. They moved to Broadbridge. Galdo was eight when Branco was born. They were like brothers. When Branco took over the carpentry business from his dad, his parents also retired to Bangan.

THE RELATIVES

GALDO BOSCO Branco’s cousin. He took his uncle’s name as he did not know his father’s. His mother was Mara Bangara. He was tall and broad-shouldered. His hair had been brown, but when Emdee met him, it was grey. He had dark brown eyes. Born in the year of the fox, he was “charming, cunning, and calculating.” He was also organised, hardworking and ruthless. He said his hand skill was sword fighting, but really, it was leather work. He made beautiful belts. His talent was for making money. He loved the sea. He had a ship called Golden Fox. He gave up the sea to get away from the pirate king. Sama wanted revenge for the stolen fire emeralds. Ollee was captain after Galdo and Rook after him. Sama captured Rook. Preemo freed him from captivity

JOREE SNOW-WHITE Galdo’s wife. Her father was Jora Snow, Captain of the Spirit of the Wind, who was lost at sea. She did not remember him. Her memory was a mess. She said she was ten when her dad went missing, but she was fourteen and about to go on her Year of Adventure. She was little but forceful. Born in the year of the butterfly, the Book of Years says she was “A lover of sparkly things, flighty and fun but fickle.” She was not often “fun.” More often, she was irritable and glum. Her hand skill was brewing. She said her talent was having beautiful children. She loved jewels. She owned the only known ice diamonds. She got them on her YoA. Something dramatic happened, but she did not remember what. Neeta was determined to find out what it was.

(GRANNY) BEBEE WHITE Joree’s mother. She was a daughter of the Sisters of the Bee (aka White Witches). She grew up on their secret island, The Eye on the World. She was sixty-four when she arrived at Ivy Cottage. She wore silver-framed spectacles that made her violet eyes seem huge. Her hair was snow blond and long enough to sit on. She often wound it into a bun held with a silver comb in the shape of a bee.

Born in the year of the beaver, Bebee was “A maker of things, always busy.” Sewing of all kinds was her hand skill. Her talent was storytelling. She won first prize at the Snowdog Festival, but she did not tell stories anymore. Sometimes she talked, but only Neeta understood. Mostly, she buzzed like a bee. Nobody seemed to know why. Surprisingly, she was extremely good with dogs.

JORA SNOW (aka The Captain) Joree’s father. Everybody called him Captain. He was the youngest of three brothers. Deeo lived in Vinterhafen. Enno perished when the tsunami destroyed Fenario. Deeo was a crook. He cheated Bebee out of Jora’s share in the company. Enno was nicer. All three brothers were tall and broad-shouldered, with thick black hair and beards like their father’s. He was a pirate turned trader who went by many names. When he married, he took his wife’s name. He called himself Sam Snow. Jora’s mother was Flora Snow from Vinterhafen. Her parents did not like Sam. They would not have him in their beautiful old house by the harbour. When they died, they left Jora the house. He spent a lot of his childhood there, too, but he was born at sea and went down with his ship.

RINDA SNOW-WHITE The eldest child of Galdo and Joree. Married to Rook. Mother of the twins Leena and Greego. She had pale grey eyes. Her hair was snow blond like her mother and grandmother, but she was taller than them. Her hand skill was cooking, particularly baking. She was born in the year of the bee, so, like Troula, she was “a busy, beautiful, beginner of things, sweet but could sting”. She was restless, always working. She was efficient, organised, and clever. She liked reading and walking but had no time for either. She ran Fefifofo, the first restaurant in the Forest. She was so busy that she paid little attention to her twins. They ran wild.

NEETA SNOW-WHITE looked nothing like her sister. Rinda looked like her mum. Neeta looked like her dad. She was dark, her sister was pale. She had curly dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Although she was five years younger Neeta was as tall as Rinda. The sisters were good friends. Born in the year of the dragon she was, “fiery and unpredictable”. Her flower was the rose. Her hand skill was sewing, particularly embroidery. She looked after her Granny Bebee, but she dreamed of adventure. Her talent was languages. She was angry with her mum and dad because they would not let her go on her Year of Adventure. They said she had already had enough adventure fleeing from the giant with the rest of the family! She was angry about that too! She did not like Emdee at first, but they become good friends before Neeta ran away to Yondaland.

PREEMO BOSCO The son of Joree and Galdo. Born in the year of the unicorn, he was “both a doer and a dreamer”. He mostly dreamed of dragons. He intended to go dragon hunting in his YoA. He had been training for it since he was little. He was strong, clever, and fast. His eyes were dark like his dad and his hair was light like his mother. His hand skill was sword fighting. He was caring but forgetful.

Preemo’s talent was making people believe in him! Extraordinary things happened to him, but he hardly noticed. He had adventures, but he did not remember them because Thrilain had his own memories. He could get them back, but only if he went to Thera. He did not know that. He remembered Kraaa, but he believed that Kraaa had forgotten him. He scanned the sky most days, but he never saw the great eagle.

ROOK SEAMAN Rinda’s husband and Maisee & Waisee’s cousin, father of Leena & Greego. He came from a long line of sailors, but he was the first to be a captain. He joined Golden Fox as a cabin boy. He had long black hair worn in a pony tail. He had hazel eyes that seemed to see everything. He was tall and broad shouldered, and not afraid of a fight. He was born in the year of the crab so he was “strong and sharp” but could be “secretive and snappy”. He wanted to stay home with Rinda, but he had to go back to sea. He had unfinished business with Sama.

LEENA SNOW-WHITE & GREEGO SEAMAN are the children of Rook and Rinda. They are twins but not identical or telepathic. They have different names because it was custom for girls to take their mother’s name and boys their father’s. Some people (like Rinda) took both names. Leena had white hair like her mother and grey eyes like her dad. Greego has Rook’s black hair and Rinda’s violet eyes. Born in the year of the dragon, they were, “fiery and unpredictable”. They were daring and cheeky. They loved climbing, running, and playing.

THRILAIN Princess of Thera Troula’s daughter and Emdee’s half-sister. (Only Troula knew this). Her father was Razlo the first Wizard on Thera. He went missing when Thrilain was eight earth years old. She found a second Door in what she thought was a cave. She lived in the cave and learned how to use the Door for time travel. She was desperate to find her mother. She did not know her name but knew she was on Earth. Thrilain could not go to Earth. She was spellbound to Thera. Her father put the spell on her when he banished Troula to Earth. Thrilain believed Preemo would help her in the future. She used Kraaa to keep an eye on him. She kept his memories of his adventures (The Mystery Shirt & The Stone) on Thera. For a while she kept Thunder with her unicorns before releasing him in the Endless Forest for Preemo to find!

THE GIANTS

KID aka LITLUN aka The Musical Giant. At the beginning of the BOX, he was the only young giant in the world. By the end of The Door, he was possibly the last giant of all. He was as hairless as rock, with mottled grey green skin with yellow splotches. He was big. When he met Emdee he was as tall as the roof of Ivy Cottage! He did not know how old he was or what year he was born, so he decided to have the same birthday as Emdee. His favourite colour was green. His talent was flute playing. He liked making jokes but only a giant would laugh at them. Emdee never got them. Kid thought that was very funny! His laugh could shake the ground. He had an enormous flute made from a dragon’s bone. He could play any tune and copy any sound he heard. He could only think about one thing at a time. He understood things quickly or not at all. He could play fabulous music but could not light a fire. He could understand any language and talk to anyone because he spoke the original language which sounded like all languages. He escaped from Mighty Mountain and unwittingly broke the fizard spell. This was the beginning of a chain reaction that changed the Forgotten Time.

BIGUN aka RUMBLECRASH! – (the sound of an avalanche!) lived on Mighty Mountain. It found and hatched Kid’s egg. It protected him from other giants. It made Kid hunt fizards. When Kid escaped Rumblecrash! followed him down the mountain and the other giants followed. It was the beginning of the Giant’s War. Bigun Killed Goatboy and moved into its cave. When Kid escaped Bigun Smashed Hillside farm and chased Galdo and his family. into the Endless Forest. Bigun finally came to rest on the common near Broadbridge. Kid thought of Bigun as his parent because it protected him from the other giants. Giants did not have parents. They were born from rock eggs in volcanoes.

GOATBOY aka YELLOWEYE. A giant that was not trapped on top of Mighty Mountain by the fizard spell. It hated the taste of fizards. It lived in a huge cave near Hillside Farm. It ate any people that came by. Galdo kept it quiet by feeding it goats. He captured Kid but was killed by Bigun before it could eat him!

PEOPLE OF BROADBRIDGE

At the beginning of The Box Broadbridge was a sleepy village that only got busy on market day. By the end of The Door, it was full of people every day. There were new shops, cafes, a coach service to Safeport and a constant stream of wagons crossing the bridge.

MA SUGAR made sweets. She opened the first shop in town. She was famous for her rainbow gobstoppers.

FARMER MAURICE MORRIS aka MAD MORRIS. He believed Broadbridge was going to be attacked by giants. He was so scared he sold his farm and took his wife and kids (Horace & Doris) to Blankia.

OLD MAN JACK. He was the oldest person in the village. He spoke in an old-fashioned way. He was hard to understand. The village kids thought he was an evil hobgoblin. Which was untrue and unkind. He was sensible and kind and liked to talk to people and make them laugh.

HENRY & HENRIETTA NEGG. Had hundreds of hens! Henry was an elevener. He ran the eating house called Elevenses. His sister Henrietta looked after their hens. They were the healthiest and happiest hens anywhere. They lived longer than other hens. People said Henrietta must have Wyse Woman. Her hens were too good to be true. As they used to say, “If it ain’t luck it’s magic”.

BO PEEP was a shepherd who lost his sheep while he was asleep. People called him Little because he was the smallest shepherd around.

LOLLEE LITTLE was the smallest boy in the village, but he had big ideas.

THE PEOPLE OF HIGHTOWN

Hightown was bigger than Broadbridge. It had a high wall all round it. Only residents could sleep there. Outside the wall, The Visitors Rest, was a hotel for visitors. Hightown had many shops, restaurants, and workshops. Joree had dresses made there. Her ship-shaped bed was made by Chipee Carpentry in Wood Street.

Preemo was kidnapped while watching a magic show in the Hightown theatre. He does not remember it (The Mystery Shirt).

MAISEE & WAISEE ESNEA The milkmaids that look after the cows and run the dairy on Hillside Farm. They were telepathic twins. They could hear each other’s thoughts, no matter how far apart they were. Born in the year of the dog, they were both “faithful, fond and fairly foolish”. They were medium height, with red hair and green eyes. Maisee’s flower was the buttercup. Waisee’s was the primrose. Maisee’s skill was making cheese. Waisee’s was cooking. They looked exactly alike but Waisee was shy, and Maisee was not. Waisee loved to draw, and Maisee loved to sing. Maisee was a good friend of both Preemo and Neeta. Maisee was grabbed by the giant Bigun, but Kid let her go. Maisee rode to get help. She stayed in Broadbridge. Waisee stayed in Hightown.

THE ANIMALS

RASCAL. Emdee’s dog. He loved playing, eating, and sleeping. He was brave, funny, and fast. He nearly died trying to protect Emdee from and Exoticat.

HARRY Troula’s horse. He hates pulling the cart!

ROBIN & RACER. The ponies Emdee and Teedee rode on the Common. Farmer Morris took them with the family to Pirate Island (aka Blankia).

KRAAA The Eagle Lord of Thera was a giant golden eagle. He was the largest bird there ever was. He was a legend (AT11). He was freed from a curse by Preemo (The Sword). He could fly between the worlds. He needed Thrilain’s help to regain his throne on Thera. He was her link with Earth. He kept an eye on Preemo for her. He flew Preemo to the Grasslands and Monkey Island. He rescued him from The Man in the Mask. He took him to Thera and the Lost Island. He fought a dragon and nearly died. Preemo saved his life. Thrilain healed them both.

NO NAME (aka THUNDER) a young Bangan that Preemo “found” in the Endless Forest. The horse remembered him, but he did not remember it, so he called it No Name the mystery horse. The horse remembered escaping the rustlers and racing across the Grasslands with Preemo on his back. Preemo named him Thunder then. If he called him that again he would get his memories back.

THE ELEVENER YEAR CYCLE

Each year had eleven months. Each month had 3 x 11 days. There were two extra days – Tree Day and New Year’s Day plus an extra day every four years called Party Day.

The Elevener calendar was the most widely used in the Forgotten Time but there were others. Seveners had seven months of 52 days with an extra day for Tree Day. Wyse Women used the lunar calendar of thirteen months of twenty-eight day, with an extra day for Tree Day. Around the world there were different names for the months and years. They did not number the years. This is why we never really know exactly when anything happened in the Forgotten Time.

The BOOK of YEARS

There was more than one version of The Book of Years, but sadly no complete book has ever been found. This list was put together from references found in other texts.

YEAR	CHARACTERISTICS
BEE	A busy, beautiful, beginner of things. Sweet but can sting. Can be solitary or gregarious. Loves nature.
CAT	Lucky, agile, able, independent, and quite mysterious. Loves to be loved.
DOG	Plenty of stamina, pluck, and power. Social, faithful, fond of family, and fairly foolish. Loves to play.
BEAR	Immensely strong. Kind, caring, playful. Slow to anger but a ferocious fighter. Loves the forest and solitude.
CRAB	Strong and sharp. Secretive and snappy. A home builder. Loves the sea.
DRAGON	Fiery and impatient. Unpredictable. The sky is the limit. Can be aloof or warm, caring, or untrustworthy. Loves fire.
FOX	Charming, cunning, and calculating. Can be dangerous. Can be playful, and amusing. Loves family and dance.
BUTTERFL	Flighty and fun but can be fickle. Loves sparkly things,
UNICORN	Both a doer and a dreamer. Brave, fast, and creative. Charming, social, and trusting. Loves the Moon.
HORSE	Can be fierce, fast, and independent. Can be slow, friendly, and social. Loves open country.
BEAVER	A maker of things, always busy. Strong, caring and determined. A homebuilder. Loves water.