3.25.25 - The Unmelting Ice of Frozen Joy pt 1

Parable 1: The Call from Castle Beezerbub

[Image: A wide shot of Castle Beezerbub under soft golden light, with animal spirits lounging around mushroom trolls, tree talkers, and warrior remnants—all joyfully gathered in a vast magical courtyard.]

Castle Beezerbub had always been a place of joy and impossible giggles. Nestled in the arms of rolling green lands, its golden-stoned towers shimmered under spell-kissed sunlight. Strange beasts, glowing spirits, mushroom trolls, and whispering tree talkers filled its halls. Here, everyone played, danced, and cleaned the crumbs of yesterday’s magical messes—crumbs mostly left behind by the trio of wandering wizards: Zsolista, Boka, and Baby.

The castle thrummed with stories. Boka’s tales exploded like firecrackers. Baby’s whispers soothed tired branches. Zsolista’s laughter carried like blue wind across the walls. The creatures, both young and ancient, had found a home here—because Castle Beezerbub, blessed by Queen Mother May-or-Zsol, accepted all. No creature too prickly, no ghost too weepy, no warrior too crumbled. All were welcomed, fed, and cherished.

[Image: A cozy shot of the trio playing with a glowing spirit-fox named Luna, surrounded by giggling dox and two cooking rabbits wearing aprons.]

One crisp morning, while chasing Luna the Kwonghi Spirit through dandelion sparkles, a dreadful realization struck.

Boka’s horn wiggled with panic. "OOOHHHH NOOOO! We still need the more ingredients for Queen Mother! Boka-boka~"

Baby twirled her leaf belt nervously. "Something cold. Something perfect. Something to make the Flower of Compassion sing. It’s-a-baby~"

Zsolista leapt to her feet, cloak flaring like a banner. "Then we must visit the Farzeeker!"

Bags packed, kisses blown, and snacks stuffed, they waved goodbye to Luna—now rolling happily with the apron-rabbits and their jelly pot.

[Image: A misty forest path leading to a cave entrance carved with runes, vines curling like script over its maw.]

Deep in the woods, past whispering stones and shadowberries, lived the Farzeeker—an old mystic named Reban. Reban was blind, not from birth but from cruelty. A wicked king had taken its eyes, leaving wounds wrapped in crimson cloth that wept gently, forever. No one, not even Queen Mother, had seen what lay beneath.

Reban’s cave smelled of starlight and soup. It stirred glowing potions, crafted babbling trinkets, and sometimes—when in a very good mood—gave out delightful gadgets that went plink and fizz.

When the trio arrived, Reban was stirring a silver potion that hummed softly.

Reban tilted its head. "Ah. Three glimmers in the forest fog. Zsolista. Boka. Baby. What do you seek on this day of days?"

Zsolista stepped forward. "An ingredient that stays forever cold. A perfect match for the Flower of Eternal Compassion and its endless fire."

Reban stilled. The silver brew quieted. Then it nodded.

All around them, the cavern sighed with age. Shelves carved from glowing stone curved like ribs along the walls, each one stacked with ancient tomes whose stories may have been true once—or not at all. Trinkets blinked from glass jars: a flame that didn't burn, a spoon that sang lullabies, a tiny locked box labeled "Maybe."

Two figures moved silently through the chamber. They were tall and robed, their limbs oddly stiff beneath the folds of their cloth wrappings. Only their faces were visible—smooth black screens bearing eternal, unmoving smiles in pixel-light. They did not speak. They did not nod. But they helped Reban without hesitation, bringing tools and stirring gently with unseen hands.

The trio watched, wide-eyed.

"Those are Reban's assistants," whispered Baby. "They’ve never said a word. Not even to Queen Mother."

Reban, as if hearing none of it, raised a single finger to the air. 

"You seek the Unmelting Ice of Frozen Joy," Reban said. "It lies far away—high atop the forgotten mountain of Sheydlandia. But first, find the Gatekeeper beneath your own home. Only the Sandworm remembers the way."

The Old Man had a way to understanding the request of the trio, as if he knew what they wanted to know before they wanted to know it.

There was something about the old cavern that reminded them of the time they spent beyond zslip-zspace, when the big giants are there eating their big food. The cavern was mysterious, terrifying and not a place the trio should be at but it held a certain familiarity to it regardless. A welcoming that beckoned them to be welcomed just one more time.

[Image: The trio exiting the forest cave, silhouetted in magical light as they prepare for their journey.]

They bowed, shared one last honey-crust cracker, and left old Reban and his keepers.

Leaving the cavern and staring at the great wilderness surrounding Castle Beezerbub and the cities around it, how well protected they are in the valley. 

This small slice of Cantor is dangling like a piece of fruit on one of the limbs of the Zser-Zsealed tree. To get anywhere, the trio needed to be guided by the sandworm and its many gates that lead to various zones the Queen has established a route to. 

Route creation is special to a monarch, only those in power are able to establish them.

 

The trio made their way and began their descent towards the Sandworm.

Down into the old dungeon they went, past time-marked stones and sleepy echoes. There, coiled in golden grains that shimmered like memory, rested the ancient Sandworm.

[Image: A massive, benevolent Sandworm lifting its head, sunlight beaming through an opening tunnel of swirling golden grains.]

The Sandworm did not wish to be disturbed. It had battled the trio once before—long ago, when it had blocked a biscuit vault by mistake. But today, it recognized their mission and rumbled a greeting that sounded like thunder yawning.

The sand pit was covered in the grinded bones of previous attackers from other nations. The sand created from their failures, the Queen might be nice but she is always ready for a battle to protect the world she has created.

The large sleeping  sandworm sensed the trio before they got there and was mentally preparing. To its surprise, the trio didn't immediately try to fight them. They stared at her and pointed at their stomach which held a blue book from Reban that  said Frozen Joy.

With a great sigh, it twisted aside, revealing a floor made of layered sand and glimmering promise.

The trio bowed in gratitude and stepped forward.

The Sandworm reared back slightly, then pressed its massive head low to the earth. With a gentle exhale, its breath summoned the zslip-zstream—a ribbon of glimmering sand that shimmered like woven sunlight and memory. It spiraled forward like a lazy river, alive with dream logic.

As the trio stepped into the stream, grains of sand curled up their legs and coated them like second skin—a golden armor meant not for battle, but for transit. It held them snug, gently pressing them down into the spiraling path. Their feet sank without struggle, and the zslip-zstream accepted them.

They floated.

Not above, not below—but through. The zslip-zstream did not obey gravity or maps. It shimmered with living pictures: giants towering through meadows, chewing fruit the size of wagons; platters of noodle mountains; dancing spoons with jelly legs. Whole meals blinked by like floating cities. One of the giants waved.

"Don’t wave back!" Baby whispered.

"Why not?" Boka whispered louder.

"Because we’re snack-sized!"

Their laughter echoed through the stream, rippling into the pictures, which smiled back.

The Sandworm, following distantly like a shepherd of gravity, kept their course steady. The trio drifted for what might have been minutes or lifetimes.

Then, with a whoosh and a pop, they burst from the stream—tumbling gently into the edge of a mossy clearing.

The zslip-zstream curled once behind them, then disappeared.

They weren’t at the mountain. But they were close.

And the path forward now smelled like honey-leaf and adventure.

[Image: The trio walking into the lush Baccyardigahn Forest, surrounded by glowing fungi, howling howlers, and squirrels wearing tiny capes.]

On the other side waited Baccyardigahn—a forest wild and wide, where trees hummed lullabies and caped squirrels leapt like heroes. Honey-leaf air swirled through the canopy, and somewhere far, far ahead, a mountain dreamed beneath a sky of snow.

Their path was unclear. Their goal? Chilly and bright.

Zsolista smiled.

Another adventure had begun.

 

Chapters for Unmelting Ice of Frozen Joy

Chapter 1 of 8: The Unmelting Ice of Frozen Joy

Chapter 2 of 8: The Slobbery Squirrel Stampede

Chapter 3 of 8: The Loquata of Desire and Fire

Chapter 4 of 8: The Curse of Forest King Rizzoff

Chapter 5 of 8: The Castle of the Frozen Mountain

Chapter 6 of 8: The Heart of the Frozen Castle

Chapter 7 of 8: The Choice Beneath the Ice

Chapter 8 of 8: The Last Drop of Loquata

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This one was pretty fun when I was telling it to the kids, I always tell them a shorter more condense version and it doesnt have as many details even though I find most of my short stories so far sparse in detail. I do include most of these names and as you can see  it is things that they know or they are accustomed to as it makes them laugh uncontrollably. One of the people we will meet on this journey is Elsanna lol and you kinda get where that name is from and it cracked them up when I told it to them the first time.

I make these stories up on a day to day basis and I write it down  to get a gist of what I am going to write for the blog. Slowly I do find myself having an overarching plot like the Flower of Eternal Compassion was always just a flower but then as the journey continued I realized it could be vanilla or some other herb that they can mix with ice to make ice cream. 

The stories are pretty food based as they gain the power of things they eat, akin to Toriko and Goku, our lord Luffy and all the other greats that get power ups as they eat food. 

I think food is so special because people know what it means to not have it. That we understand innately that  eating and food gives us strength and power. That it is a true marker of life.