Any Witch Way (8 page)

Nothing. The cottage was in a shambles, but it was empty of any life. Both Tara and the goblin were gone. Sadie scanned the entire room. A bit of fear seeped into her belly and made her feel nauseous.

What am I to do? Where have they gone? I must find Tara.  

As she moved towards the front door, she noticed there were none of the birds or butterflies that usually accompanied Tara; the room seemed so void of warmth and happiness. So void of Tara’s essence. This made her sad. Just then Sadie thought she heard something outside. She ran out the front door in a flash.

“Tara!” Sadie shouted, but to no avail.

Tara was nowhere to be seen. What Sadie did see, however, was more than a little disturbing. Down the hill leading to the pumpkin patch were about twenty torches all in a huge circle. Holding those torches were creatures similar to the goblin that had done battle with Tara. As the light of the torches danced in the darkness with their creepy holders jerkily and unnaturally moving about, Sadie could make out the figure of Alroy pinned or tied down in the center. He looked dead; at least, he wasn’t moving. She gasped, putting her hand over her mouth again.

When she did so, one of them began to yell, “There she is!” And the mob began running her way.

Sadie turned and ran back inside the house, bolting the door behind her. As she leaned up against it, she tried to figure out her next move. She looked up and sighed, then gasped at what she saw. Above her, floating up in the beams of the ceiling was a giant shiny bubble. Within this bubble were Tara and the goblin. Both were looking down at her—Tara with an urgent expression and the goblin seemingly full of smug satisfaction.  

Tara began pounding on the walls of the bubble which sent ripples all over it, just like when you poke your finger in the still waters of a pond. Each time her fist hit the walls, it sent ripples fanning out until the entire bubble was vibrating from the effect.

Tara then urgently started pointing at one of the doors along the cottage walls. Not knowing what else to do and thinking that inside that door was a way to help Tara, Sadie ran as fast as she could towards it. At the same moment the wood splintered on the front door. Looking over her shoulder as she ran, Sadie saw the scaly, knobby head of a goblin poking through a hole in the slats. Using its broken teeth, it was slowly eating its way through the wood and into the house.

Slamming the door behind her, Sadie turned to see she was in yet another one of ‘her’ bedrooms. On the bed were her backpack and a tiny twinkling blue butterfly.

“Come closer,” she heard the butterfly say.

As Sadie did what she was told, not wanting to upset one of Tara’s butterflies and not being able to think of anything else to do at such an urgent moment, she drew in close. When she did, she realized it was not a butterfly at all, but the tiniest of the tiniest fairies.

“Take your backpack and go out that window. Once outside run as fast as you can, never stopping, never looking back, just run. Do not lose your backpack, for we’ve filled it full of your most useful gifts,” said the minuscule, glowing blue fairy.

A loud noise could be heard outside the door.

The goblins must be inside.

“Don’t worry about Tara. She’ll be just fine; you might not be. So RUN!” shouted the fairy and Sadie listened.

She was up and out the window as the pounding started on the bedroom door. She ran blindly into the night, into the forest, and for once she was not afraid of where she was going, but what she was leaving. The light of the moon gave her some ability to see so that she didn’t run smack dab into a tree, but she still had trouble with briars and ferns that were as tall as she. She fought her way through the flora and eventually, after what seemed like hours, she came out on the other side of the tall dark woods.

As she emerged, she could see the pink of sunrise over the trees in the distance; she took a few steps forward. A squishing, wet sound came from underfoot, and she stopped to gain some sort of idea as to where she had ended up. Sadie stood along the edge of a vast swamp. She knew it to be a swamp from the foul gases bubbling and burping up at her feet; in the coming daylight, she could make out the outlines of swamp grass and reeds.

This all seems so familiar, she thought as she began to walk the perimeter between forest and swamp.

A few yards ahead of her Sadie spotted a pile of downed logs and decided she would take a much needed rest there. Upon closer examination she found them to be trees that looked beaver-cut at their base. She walked around the formation, studying all its nuances. They formed a small hidey-hole for her on the inside while looking like a pile of logs on the outside.

This will make a great place to hide for a minute, to rest, to give my legs a break.

As she crawled inside, there was a bed of thick green spongy moss with the pungent aroma of pine needles floating in the air. 

What kind of place is this? Who built this and why? This could be a trick, but I didn’t get any strange feelings so….   

There was moss tucked in between the logs and branches and ivy hung down in places. Crunchy dead leaves seemed to be sprinkled here and there, reminding Sadie of the season; she shivered, not from fear but from cold. They must be nice or good people, I mean, creature, because I can’t imagine anything slimy wanting to live so, well, nice. 

Sadie crawled around inside and sat up against the back wall. She unhooked her backpack from her body and unzipped the main compartment. It was packed full of things she recognized to be some of her birthday gifts—lots of the things she had no idea what they were, much less how to work them.

Oh, I wish Tara were here. But if Tara were here, I guess I really wouldn’t be here.

“How are these things going to help me if I don’t even know what they are,” Sadie said aloud to no one in particular.

“I can help you,” said a small, calm female voice right next to her, causing her to jump sideways and almost squeal.

“Who…who are you?” questioned a shaky-voiced Sadie while desperately scanning her surroundings for who or whatever had said that.

“Don’t be afraid; I’m an elemental. A woodland elemental if you want to get technical. We are usually earth, air, fire or water. I’m earth and of these woods. A spirit of the forest if you will,” the voice said. “I will not harm you, Sadie, daughter of the MacDougall clan; you are safe with me to watch over you. So long as you are in my forest, no harm will come to you.”

Sadie relaxed her stance a little and remembered to breathe again. She had yet to meet, hear about, or come across an elemental in her journeys, but this one seemed nice enough, and Sadie was so tired. What that really meant was she didn’t get that bad feeling in her heart or stomach—that wretched feeling in her chest and belly. The one, that always made an appearance when things were about to go bad, was nowhere to be found. This elemental must genuinely be on her side.

“Did you build this…hut?” Sadie questioned.

The elemental seemed to laugh, if indeed she could. It was a bit unnerving that Sadie couldn’t see whom she was talking to, but she began to relax nonetheless because of her melodic and soothing voice. 

“No, I just asked a favor of some beavers, which I already have a deal with, and some swamp fairies along with some wood elves. They put it together. I knew you were coming even before you did, Sadie. I wanted you to have a safe place to rest. Though I’m neither human nor witch, I do understand it’s not easy being a witchling without guidance.”

“What are you exactly?”

“I’m what I said, a spirit of the woods. I am the spirit of the Green Man, yet the female personification. As he cannot be everywhere at once, I’m his representative in this forest. There are many of us all over the world. It’s kind of like how certain men will “play” Santa Claus because he cannot be everywhere all the time. We also transcend the barriers between the human world and the magikal realm. We always have been and always will be—should humans not destroy all the trees or this wondrous planet they live on as parasites.”

For a moment, Sadie was a bit offended as being referred to as a parasite, but in the time it took to think about it, she realized humans kind of were a parasite of the planet. Not all of them, but lots of them fell into this category. Also, not wanting a confrontation with the elemental, Sadie decided to change the subject, as this new “person” obviously knew things.

“You said you can help me. How?”

“I will tell you about your objects, and I will point you in the right direction when you leave here,” replied the elemental. “I will give you cover now and when you leave, should you need it, and call the winds to hold back any foes.”

Sadie smiled. Elementals must be powerful.

“I do not take sides. Normally. I stay out of the goings-on between humans and non-humans, but Tara beseeched me protect you, and I respect her as she respects me. Let’s just say we, Tara and I, work together sometimes and because of that, I’m now an unlikely friend to you as well,” replied the invisible elemental. “Not that I don’t suspect you are worthy, it’s just that as I told you before, I stay out of all the drama humans and magikal beings seem to thrive on. I have trouble trusting your kind. For me, trust must be earned.”

“Can you show yourself?”

As soon as the last word left Sadie’s lips a slight wind began to rustle. Fall’s colorful leaves began to spin in front of her, a kaleidoscope view of every shade, while moss and ivy joined in, adding green to the mix. The swirling mass began to shape and form into a face.

When all was done, a female countenance made from bright red, yellow, and orange leaves appeared in the air before her. Brown leaves formed what looked like hair draping down to the ground. Ivy and other vines made a crown while moss formed a neck line to what would be clothing. It all left Sadie somewhat speechless. It was nature, or more specifically, the forest incarnate.

“Is this better?” the now-visible, and in a different way, very beautiful face asked.

“Y…yes,” said Sadie, “it’s easier to speak with someone when you have an image or idea of what they look like.”

“Well, if it works for you, so be it. Now, let’s get to work on the items in your backpack.”

“Wait, what can I call you?” asked Sadie.

“I do not have a name, per say, but you may call me the Green Woman.”

“It’s a shame you don’t have some seven-league boots in there,” said the elemental as Sadie dumped the contents of her backpack on the cushy floor.

“If you mean ugly dark green rubber boots, I got some for my birthday. I guess they didn’t fit in the backpack when the fairy packed it,” Sadie responded while picking up a beautiful glass orb and tossing it from hand to hand. “What’s this, some sort of crystal ball?”

“Careful! Careful with that, little witchling. That’s a Sinking Sphere. I’m surprised you received one of those; they are quite rare from what I understand and remember,” said the Green Woman as she looked fondly at the ball. “What that object does is to sink whom or whatever it hits and shatters on.”

Sadie wondered how that would ever come in handy and why on earth would it be rare, but she was not one to complain. She looked at the pile and grabbed another item. They looked like very small, very unusual binoculars. “And what are these?” she asked.

“Ah, yes. I’ve seen a few of those in my days. Those are called Magikal Monocles. If you look through them, they will show you the immediate future of whomever you’re looking at.”

“Now that’s cool,” Sadie quipped. 

“Okay, looks like you’ve got your standard sleeping potion in that bottle, a handful of frog pebbles, three battering bats, a freeze wand, two Giganticus Snailicus pills, some Forget Me Dust, ohhh…wait…there’s Remember Me Dust, too. How unusual! And you’ve got some Forgur Cookies, Green Vomiting Swamp Eel Snot, and some….”

“Wait, slow down, you have to tell me what all these things do,” Sadie said somewhat desperately. “I’ll never know what to do with them or how to use them if you don’t tell me.”

With her leaves rustling, the Green Woman smiled at Sadie. It was a warm, almost motherly smile, and it made Sadie relax a bit. She regained her train of thought and slowed down her urgency. It may have been the Green Woman’s intense gaze or maybe it was the warm sunlight beginning to stream through the branches and wood of the lean-to.

“What are frog pebbles? Are they dehydrated frogs?” Sadie asked, wondering what the importance of dried frogs could be.

The Green Woman seemed to laugh a moment and then spoke. “Frog Pebbles will turn anyone into a frog so long as you place a pebble on their person. They can only be turned back into what they were or are by placing a Reverse Frog Pebble on their frog person. That can be dangerous though as Reverse Frog Pebbles are three times the size of regular Frog Pebbles, and frogs can be quite small. I personally see no problems with being a frog, seems a simple enough life to me.”

“Do I have any reverse Frog Pebbles? I might need them.”

“I don’t think they thought them necessary, as I don’t see any. If they had, I’m sure they would have included them when they packed your bag.”

A rustling was heard outside in the leaves. It was too loud and crunchy to be a mouse and too small and crackly to be a human. Every muscle in Sadie went tense.

“Relax, little witchling; it’s just your guides,” the Green Woman whispered through her leafy lips.

Sadie wondered. 

Guides to where? And what kind of creature could or would guide me?

The rustling grew a bit louder and amidst the crunch of the leaves, chatter could be heard. At first it seemed to be light conversation between two…what-or-whomevers…that were coming her way, but as they got closer, Sadie could make out an argument.

“…and I’ll smack you on the head with ten Troll Boulders!” (A loud whistling was heard at the end of this sentence.)

“If you think you can, you morally corrupt little lump. Troll poop is much too big for you to pick up. And why would you want to touch it in the first place, you sick, dirty little gnome. You’re a disgrace to gnome-kind. Why don’t you just go over to the dark side? You seem to have such an affinity for violence and nasty things.”

“Only towards you, you…you…” (yet another whistle).

Sadie recognized that high pitched whistle of a voice. “Elgarbam, Whistle!” she shouted as she poked her head out of the hut.  

Sure enough, right before her and eye to eye with her, as she was on hands and knees, were the pair of gnomes.

“Hello, Sadie, you look tired and out of sorts,” said Elgarbam. “You looked prettier at your birthday party.”

“Hello, Sadie, what a mess your hair is—too many knots and sticks in it for a human or, uh, er, a witchling,” said Whistle.

Sadie, remembering that these two gnomes weren’t exactly the most congenial, smiled as she felt her hair and began to pull sticks and leaves from its rumpled state.

“Well, what do you expect? I’ve been running through the woods all night,” Sadie remarked, defending her apparently offensive appearance.

Elgarbam whacked Whistle on his little head, knocking off his cap, and exposing his bald scalp. With a flustered rush of stumpy little fingers, Whistle picked the cap up and replaced it almost immediately. Sadie smirked as the pair continued to do battle with each other. She looked at her pile of magikal objects on the moss-covered floor and picked up what looked like a fairly large icicle.

“And what can I do with this,” she asked as she waved it about.

“WHOA!” screamed Elgarbam.

“Look out!” exclaimed Whistle as he ducked.

“Sadie, just put that down carefully and slide it back into your bag. That’s a freezing wand,” said the elemental.

“What’s a freezing wand?” a curious Sadie questioned. She wondered what kind of icicle could get that much of a reaction from the three of them. She also felt a little bit tougher knowing it was in her possession.

“Whatever you point that wand at will turn to ice and not thaw for at least a week. They usually have about twenty freezes in them. If my powers of observation serve me correctly, yours has a full twenty charges on it. Whenever you run out, you can recharge them at any one of the Society for Magikal Beings Supply Outlets,” responded the Green Woman.

“Oh, I want to go to the supply outlet now. I LOVE to shop,” Sadie said.

“Well, you have to be in the Guild for Magikal Beings territory first before you can go to any of their shops,” said a disgruntled Elgarbam.

“You mean we’re not there right now?” Sadie asked. She was genuinely confused. How could Tara’s home, all of this, everything she’d seen exist in the human world?

As the two tiniest beings laughed in unison at Sadie’s question, the Green Woman was perfectly still. Sadie felt her cheeks turn a little red, and she began to feel somewhat like she should stand up for her question, but inside she knew she wouldn’t dare. When the laughing had died down and Sadie was thoroughly embarrassed, the elemental spoke.

“No, Sadie, we’re still in the human world. Whatever gave you the idea that you, us, all of us, were in the magikal dominion?”

“I just thought, I just…well…since I’ve been around all these creatures and whatnot,” she stammered as she waved her arms towards the two gnomes, “that we were already here. I mean, I didn’t see these types of things back in my world.”

“Oh, we’re all around in your world. You just don’t see us as our true selves. We remain hidden from human eyes though we’re here, living and working right beside you all the time. We wear a glamour when in your world so no one spots us and can expose…” Whistle started, but was cut off by Elgarbam.

“…our true forms. There are some out there who can see us magikal beings, but they’re mostly considered crazy and either left alone, ignored, or locked up if they speak about us.”

Sadie took all this in; as she did, her mind drifted almost immediately to Crazy Mary.

If that’s the case, that would explain what she said to me. But how did she know? Could she see through the glamours? Does she have some sort of magikal powers? If so, she probably saw our town filling up with all sorts of nasty beasts. I guess she’s not so crazy after all.

Sadie thought and answered her own questions in her head. The implications of what this new information could possibly mean made her eyes open wide. 

So anyone could be a magikal being?

Her mind raced with this information as well.

Anyone I’ve ever spoken to could have been…otherworldly, and I didn’t know it. That could explain that strange little man who runs the movie theatre and the lady who…OH, MY GOSH—I’ve got to find out about the parking meters. I just knew I saw them move….

“And I’m afraid that the Society of Magikal Beings or the Magik World is much, much different from what you’re used to in your world. That’s why no witchling is allowed to go there until she’s a full witch at age sixteen. That’s when you more fully understand what it all means, and you are in control of your powers, which, I might add, don’t come into full effect until you’re sixteen,” stated the Green Woman.

Sadie pondered this new information for a moment, digesting what it all meant to her. She began pocketing bits of pertinent information into the files and folders of her mind. She also took a few moments to mull certain ideas and kept coming back to the fact that the gnomes had laughed at her, very loudly.

“And this is for laughing at me for asking a question,” she said as she punched both Elgarbam and Whistle in their arms. “I won’t punch you, Green Woman, since you’ve helped me so much. Not to mention, I think if I made you mad enough, nothing in my backpack of tricks could help me.”

The two gnomes sat rubbing their arms in stunned silence as the Green Woman chuckled a little, causing some leaves to shed. “You’re wise not to upset me, Sadie.”

“What about us? You think you can just punch us with your giant pink fist, girl child? Witchling or no I ought ta….”

“There are NO stupid questions in this world or in the magik world, and you laughed at hers. I’d say the two of you deserved those punches. It’s just a good thing she’s still unsure how to use most of these items from her bag. Although, she does know all about the Frog Pebbles she has. I might add, little gnomes, there are no Reverse Frog Pebbles.”

The two gnomes held each other and backed away a bit from Sadie, eyes wide, like they might’ve been turned to frogs before.

“I’m sorry, Sadie, it’s all Whistle’s fault. He’s so rude. I blame his upbringin’. He was raised in a mixed marriage, Gnome and Sprite, very nasty business if you ask me, and I would….”

“She didn’t ask you and since when are you against mixed marriage? You yourself have been after me sister Whisper for the last so many years, and she’s half gnome and half sprite.” Elgarbam punched Whistle; then Whistle punched him back. “You’re just scared of the witchling now.”

“ENOUGH!” the Green Woman exclaimed, “I don’t know how anyone can be around you two with all the arguing. Now stop it!”

Some more leaves fell from her face. “The time has come for you to guide Sadie to one of the Society of Magikal Beings offices. Tara sent me word saying you are to go to the office in her hometown, Cranberry Grove, isn’t it? Put your glamour on to look like adults so no questions are asked as to why this young lady is in your company.”

“Done,” said the bickering pair in unison.

“I can still see you,” Sadie said.

“You will always see magikal creatures now, Sadie; you’re a witchling. Glamours for the human world no longer work on you unless you let them,” responded the Green Woman. “If only you were a full witch and you could glamour yourself, dear child, for the Syndicate will be looking for you full force. It’s a shame these two can’t perform magik on you; gnomes just don’t have it in them to glamour someone else.”

Elgarbam and Whistle looked down at the ground, pretending they didn’t hear what The Green Woman said. It was obvious they were embarrassed by their weak magikal skills.

“What is the Syndicate I keep hearing about?” Sadie asked. “Zeno did mention something about the glamours, but I’ve really heard nothing about the Syndicate, ‘cept for their name, ‘til now.”

“Elgarbam and Whistle can fill you in on the journey. I have other matters that need my attention immediately. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more, or explain more of your objects to you, Sadie MacDougall. Good luck!”

As she spoke, her moss began turning brown, the ivy began to curl, and leaves began to drop just like from the trees in the fall. “Be safe and vigilant, and if you really need help, remember everything in the world is whispered on the wind.”

As she spoke her last word, the elemental known as the Green Woman completely disappeared in a little gust of wind that scattered her vegetation about the hut as if she had never been there.

Silence filled the tiny shelter as Sadie gathered her objects back into her bag. She felt a little sad The Green Woman was gone. She had really liked her.

Was she even really here?

That thought was immediately interrupted by a very loud burp.

“No couth!” said Elgarbam as he, yet again, smacked Whistle on the head with a loud crack.

“I’m surprised one of you doesn’t have brain damage with all the smacking and hitting about the head the two of you do,” said Sadie as she hooked her arms in her backpack straps. “Shall we be off?”

The two gnomes began inspecting each other’s heads for brain damage as Sadie left the lean-to. The sun was shining bright, yet brought little warmth on this most beautiful of all fall days. Just about all the leaves had left the trees, and Sadie wondered why she hadn’t noticed before.

Laughing a bit, she thought ‘cause I’ve been a little busy.

She looked around and the vast, murky swamp lay to her right and the forest she had run through last night lay to her left. In front of and in back of her was a sort of dirt road that ran the length of the two. Not knowing which way to go, she yelled for the gnomes. The two creatures waddled out and put up their hands to shield their eyes from the sunlight.

“Smells like snow,” shrilled Whistle.

“Which way do we go?” questioned Sadie.

“This way,” said Elgarbam, pointing along the track of road between swamp and forest that seemed to Sadie to lead north. She had worked this out from the time on her watch and the position of the sun. For once, she was glad she had paid attention at Outdoor Girls Camp when her mother had sent her.