by Ronald Craig
While Nina's walking down the stairs, the house is silent. Feeling unnerved for a moment then noticing her mother, she is relieved. Mother is happily sitting at the kitchen table looking at a witch’s book. The Rayburn is warming the kitchen. It's another strange cold night. ‘What are you doing Mam?' ‘Hello, sweetie, I'm looking through this spell book.' ‘What spells does it have in it?' ‘One that can help us find Dillwyn's parents, hopefully.
‘Relck is at the order. Witches and wizards are disappearing. He is waiting; he needs your help,' she explains.
Sitting down at the table, Nina's serving herself a bowl of cereal, wanting to hear more. Her witch's sense picks up the dangers before her. ‘Tell me more Mam.' A discerning looked comes over Mother.
‘It's the Summer Solstice coming up, and the stars will align, and magic will be strong for twenty-four hours. Witches and wizards will get new powers, but also young magic folk will change.'
‘Change into what?' ‘They will get more powers or new powers,' says Mother. Nina is unsettled. Mother has not answered her question fully. Her Mother smiles strangely. Nina frowns at this, not understanding what is trying to be said.
‘Are you feeling okay, sweetie?'
‘I've had a bad night sleep, says Nina ‘I'm missing Toots. There's so much going on, we help Dillwyn, and now we need to help find his parents!' Mother smiles as if feeling and understanding what Nina is trying to say. ‘Sometimes things are meant to be broken, you know.' Nina frowns.
‘That doesn't make sense Mam.' ‘At times, put aside yesterday thoughts, and when your mind clears the things that mean the most to you show you what is troubling.' She continues.
'We have a lot to cope with and to understand in life. We have to live two lives, and one or the other is just as hard as next.'
Nina smiles as she finishes her breakfast, understanding the meaning of what Mother is implying.
Being ushered to the order, she finishes her breakfast, gives Mother a kiss and hug, runs upstairs feeling more with it and excited at the day ahead. Grabbing her witch's bag, she silently wonders where Father is? She can't sense his presence; she touches the mirror.
‘Witchy witchy woo. Mother nature hears my cry. I offer you the wing of a bat, leg of the spider.' She sprinkles magic dust on the floor. ‘Through the darkest night and the lightest day, through time and space take me to the order.' Sparks fly from her wand, and she is gone.
Arriving at the Order of Feathers dressed in her apprentice robe, she pauses to catch her breath from the unnatural transportation through the mirror. The great hall is inaudible, witches and wizards are too busy to notice her as they pass.
Not seeing Relck, Toots or Dillwyn, she walks towards the inventor's room. Reaching the door, it is ajar. Peering inside, she is struck by the silence. Relck, Toots, Raspy and Dillwyn study what the inventor is making. Toubale looks up. ‘Ah.' He quickly throws a sheet over whatever it is on the table. Relck turns and looks throwing a smile as if up to something; she knows her brother, but thinking to herself, ‘I'll let him keep his secrets till he wants me to know about it.' ‘Hello everyone,' she smiles as if the game is up and she knows everything.
Dillwyn rushes over and hugs Nina. Noticing Toot’s feathers are still white on the tips and his face sad, tells Nina all she needs to know. Nina walks over to him and squeezes him and gives him a kiss.
‘I'm with you,' she whispers.
‘Yes, I know,' he screeches. ‘You nearly squeezed the feathers off me.' The friends chuckle. Nina is so happy to be with her friends. Without them, it's lonely on adventures.
Relck turns to Nina,
‘Have you heard about the witches and wizards' disappearing?'
‘Yes, do you know where they have gone?'
‘No! But I don't think anybody's taken them. I reckon they're hiding.' ‘Hiding, hiding from whom?' She asks.
‘No one seems to know. But Mother's considering spells to help.'
‘Yes, I spoke to Mam this morning. She's trying to find your parents Dillwyn, but it's a mystery, this goings-on.
‘You should look for clues Nina, alone,' prompts Relck.
‘Where do I start?'
‘Try home, see what Mam knows, if not, then the box of lies may help.'
Nina agrees then makes her way to the great hall and the grand mirror. It's empty, as witches and wizards go on their way. Reaching into her witch's pouch, she grabs her wand. She touches the mirror and whispers her magic words, as she makes her offering.
Then with a swish and a swoosh and spark from her wand, she disappears.
A blinding light hits her eyes, and the scent of pine trees fills the air. Nina is disoriented. ‘Where am I?' This is not home. Eyes are focusing; she turns her head and looks around. She is in a wood, needles and pine cones cover the ground. There are no signs of anyone or any horrible creatures. She mutters quietly to herself,
‘I always fear the worst, but this could be good.'
Unexpectedly a thought comes to her, something from within her dream, she remembers.
‘Be careful where you tread, in the trees they hide. Footprints will mark their presence. Be careful of danger from above. If you look up, a spell you may find, dropped on the unwary. Witches and wizards hide from harm. Only cold and dark follow, to take their magic.' Crunch, a twig snaps above her head. She nervously looks up. Her eyes are distracted, and a large snowflake floats down. Nina's instinct is to hold out her hand remembering this happened at Auntie Paulina's. Strange, she thinks for a second, and as the snowflake lays on her palm, it burns hot like a flame. Then, whoosh, she vanishes.
Chapter Three
The Magic Gift
SHE LANDS ON A TREE trunk, in a dark and quiet place, no wind, no stars in the dark sky above as if nature’s elements have just disappeared!
Nina finds this unnerving. Looking around in the darkness as her eyes adjust she only sees a witch’s star formed out of old tree stumps, with her standing in the centre.
Shadows of trees can barely be seen in the dimly lit sky as if a blanket has fallen on this cursed land. Only a small light up ahead shows the way. Reaching for her wand, Nina begins to make a spell.
‘Witchy witchy woo. Mother nature hear my cry.'
Reaching into her witch's pouch, she takes it out and sprinkles magic dust. ‘I offer you the tail of a rat, the claw of cat, through the darkest night and brightest day give me the light of the sun.'
Nothing happens. Standing for a moment, Nina is shocked. How can this be?
I must go on she thinks; never stay still too long, Father says. She takes a deep breath, with one foot in front of the other, not knowing where she is going, she moves forward. She has her witch sense as if eyes follow her every move. Shadows seem to move around in the thicket, but with such a stillness in the air, this is not the wind moving amongst the trees.
Is it her mind? Or her witch’s sense? A single whisper starts to echo through the spiny black trees. ‘She is here; the Red Witch comes.'
The eerie sound of echoes makes Nina tense. Is the Red Witch following her, and for the love of mother nature, who is whispering? The whispering grows. She can make out different voices, men, woman, young boys.
‘The Red Witch is coming; the Red Witch is coming,' they whisper.
Not far from the small light the voices stop. Nina is brave, but she is still a young girl, with no skilled magic. Besides herself, feelings of fear make her thoughts race; her mind turns to Relck.
‘I'm with you,' he would say, but, where is he? Feelings are mixed, hurt as well as petrified, she has no choice but to face what is in the light. Near to the door, she stops a few feet from it. The door is black like the sky. A small voice croaks. ‘Who are you?' ‘How did you get past the witches and wizards?' ‘Who are you?' Nina replies, ignoring the question.
Suddenly the voice sternly croaks with a cough. ‘I'm asking the questions, little girl.' ‘You are a frog.'
‘A frog, bah, he scoffs. I'm a toad, and my name is Cobby,'
he says rudely.
‘What do you want here? He demanded.
‘I don't know; it isn't my choice. A snowflake fell from a tree into my hand, which burned, and I land here. Wherever this is?'
‘What is your name?' Cobby croaks.
‘Nina.'
‘Oh, you better come in. I guess the door is open for you. You should see Mr and Mrs Tinkerer.'
Turning towards the door, Cobby disappears through a small flap. She nervously touches the doorknob, turns it unhurriedly, it opens to a room with unidentified surroundings. Something catches her eye in the room, and objects draw her attention; it looks much like the inventors. Weirdly stranger objects though. An old man is busy making a spell in a huge mortar and pestle. An open fire burns with a bubbling cauldron as flames burn fierce red colours, Toots comes to mind again. Observing the environment, she quietly scans if it's safe? There are two chairs near the fire, and somebody is sat on one next to a table in the centre of the room.
Cobby croaked, ‘this is Nina.'
‘Ah, so you've met Cobby. Hope he wasn't too rude, he's sulking at the minute,' said a warm voice from the chair.
Nina turns to look at Cobby. She smiles, seeing him in the full light. He is a large toad, dark green colour, with an eye patch. Nina frowns, wondering why he is wearing an eye patch.
‘You're looking at my eye, aren't you?'
‘Behave, leave the girl alone.' Mrs Tinkerer said.
‘He's not happy we needed something from him to make your gift.'
‘Ah, so it's you who took my eye and my beautiful warts,' croaks Cobby.
‘I'm sorry, that's horrible. Nina doesn't want to hurt his feelings, after all, she's only just met him.
‘Don't encourage him, we asked him first. You're an old misery! You sound like Mr Tinkerer,' she cackles, reminding her of her Grandma's mannerism.
‘Leave me out of this'. Chuckles Mr Tinkerer.
‘Ignore him, when we borrow anything such as warts the magic grows them back before the new moon.' Mrs Tinker said.
‘Nina, well how you've grown. Come in, come closer, let me look at you and leave the darkness outside,' squinting, she scrutinises a vague look towards Nina.
As she awkwardly edges closer, the old man turns and smiles warmly at her. Stopping by the vacant chair, she looks to see whom this woman is.
‘Do I know you?'
‘You will not remember me; we came to see you when you were born. I know your family, and we have all been friends for a very long time. Sit while Mr Tinkerer finishes your gift.'
‘My gift'?
‘We, Toubale and ourselves have been working on something special for you. To help you in this strange and dangerous time.'
‘Do you need help, are you trapped in this dark place?' Mrs Tinkerer smiled.
‘Even if I didn't know who you were, just from your kind words inquiring if we need help when it is you in a strange dark place, my dear. I can tell, you have a good soul though. A heart so strong you can face anything. You must take after your Grandma. Smiling as if to say she knows her Grandma all too well.
‘Do you know who is taking witches and wizards?' ‘My friend, Dillwyn's parents, are also missing. One of my friends said it's the ice goblins.'
‘Yes, it's probably the ice goblins, they are clever scheming creatures. But they live in a different world, I for one don't know how you can get there.' Mrs Tinkerer continued.
‘But less of this and more of how did you past the trees'?
Smiling Mr Tinkerer said.
‘You mean the witches and wizards that shroud themselves with the trees and magic.'
‘More like live in them you mean. I don't know when one of those creatures last had a bath. They hide in them, from a dark, cold magic, someone has given you misinformation. Cobby by any chance?' Mr Tinkerer nodded in his direction.
Nina smiles.
‘He did mention they are in the trees, but magic doesn't work here.'
Mr Tinkerer looks over.
‘That's why I can't get this thing to work. The magic is not working, and who can do this?'
Mrs Tinkerer looks at Nina.
‘Only a Watcher has the power to stop magic! Do you know any Nina?'
‘No, I have seen two at Auntie Paulina's, but they never speak. They are quite scary.'
‘I think you need to speak to Relck; he must know something. After all, it is what he is to become.'
‘What! He is to become a Watcher?'
‘Oh, sorry dear I thought you knew; you need to speak to Relck about this.'
Mr Tinkerer approaches her, with a smile full of affection, he also looks pleased with himself at what he has crafted, handing Nina her magic gift.
‘Here's your gift.' He nods, handing Nina an object in a cloth.
‘What is it?' She asks curiously.
‘Every family has a magic product, and this is what we all have been working on, it's called the Telescope of Time. It can take you anywhere in the world and at any time, and possibly other dimensions. But remember your magic cannot affect the past only the present. If you go back in time you will not be seen; you will be invisible to the world. All you have to do is say where you want to go and turn the eyepiece.'
Pausing, looking at a small window as if looking for something.
Mr Tinkerer interrupts.
‘When we restore magic, you might want to go back to the order.'
‘Relck would do anything for you, just remember that my sweet girl.'
‘Go ahead try it now,' Mr Tinkerer smiled. Mrs Tinkerer joined in encouraging, eager to see their handy work.
Lifting the gift from the cloth, it is tiny, gold in colour, but just the right size for her witch's pouch. Placing her eye to the back lens, nervously she whispers. ‘Take me to the order'.
At a turning of the front lens, she and the magic item vanishes. Appearing in the great hall, to the surprise of everyone there. Nina is happy. Good, she thinks, no whirling into the unknown, it is much better taking the telescope than using the mirror.
Dillwyn and Toots look on in shock. ‘Wow, how do you do that?' He screeches in amazement.
‘It's my new gift from Mr and Mrs Tinkerer.'
‘Where's Relck?'
‘We don't know. Relck vanished when you disappeared through the mirror. We could tell something wasn't right when you went through. And he got anxious and left after you.'
‘I must see Grandma then, are you both okay?' Concerned, her heart races and she fret’s for Relck while thinking of her two friends.
‘Yes, we are fine, find Relck,' Toot’s hoots.
Lifting her new tool of magic, she looks through the eyepiece and turns the front lens. ‘Grandma's,' she says, commanding a journey.
Chapter Four
Lost Brother
ARRIVING IN THE LIVING room of Auntie Paulina's. There at the table sits Mother, Grandma and Auntie. The family greet Nina who is distracted by Paulina, whose dress in a floral vintage style dress and her hair up in a bun. She is a tall woman, but not feminine. She is caring but not as gentle as her own mother. Nina's eyes meet her mothers.
‘What's this?' Mother asks in amazement.
‘It's a gift from Mr and Mrs Tinkerer. 'Where's Relck?' She asks abruptly. Strangely Mother's disinterested in what Nina's been doing.'
‘Sit down my child,' Mother said with a sombre voice and glum look on her face. Nina senses that something has happened to Relck.
Auntie Paulina gets up.
‘I'll make a pot of tea, with biscuits this time.' She smiles, making light of a situation.
‘What is it?' Nina asks, raising her voice.
‘Relck has taken the oath; he has become a Watcher.'
Mother bursts into tears, putting her head in her hands. Trying to hide her feelings, Grandma rubs her back trying to console her daughter. Grandma's not good at this sort of thing; her motherly nature dulled away with time.
Nina slumps into a chair.
‘Why? What does that mea
n?'
‘I'll tell you from the beginning,' said Mother who is sat in expectancy, fearing the worst of what has happened.
‘When Relck was born, he was a restless child. Something was wrong with him. He would not sleep and has not slept a wink of sleep in his life.
‘What, he has never slept, that explains a lot.' Nina smirks.
Red-faced, Mother half smiles in acknowledgement. Breathing deep, Mother continues.
‘He would cry for some unknown reason. The tears fell for months, and we were at our wit's end, your Father became angry, and a feeling of hopelessness loomed over us. We were unable to communicate with our precious boy. Something had cursed him, so we thought. Our family was divided, Grandma lived at sea with your Grandpa, only your aunt was around, we tried everything we could to lift this horrid curse. Then one day a Watcher came calling, hearing Relck's cry. Once he approached Relck the crying stopped. We didn't know who the Watchers were and thought them our enemy. It turned out we had a special son, a Watcher. A gift so rare we have never heard of it before. But there is a downside to it. When they take the oath, they become a Watcher for life, with one gift, the power to stop magic. No matter how powerful the magic is, the Watchers can stop the witches or wizard’s gifts how they see fit. Your Grandpa and Grandma were free spirits, should we put it.'
Grandma interrupted. ‘We were pirates'. ‘We all have secrets, don't we dear', looking at Mother and Auntie Paulina.
‘What, you were a pirate!' Nina's bemused, almost impressed.
‘Yes,' Grandma's face gleams. She's so proud of being a pirate!
Mother interrupted and continued scowling unimpressed. Feeling the resentment, Nina looks uncomfortable.
‘Your Grandpa was born a Watcher, little to our knowledge. But when news of Relck reached your grandparents a choice had to be made to help Relck.'
