by Ronald Craig
The door flew open and the owl barged his way past Relck. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked in his raspy voice of authority.
Nina pointed at Toots. ‘Look at Toots’s beautiful feathers!’
Raspy stood with his beak open. He looked down frantically to check that he had not been affected. When he had inspected his own unchanged plumage, he sighed in relief.
He let out a hoot of laughter. ‘We’re going to have to call you Snowflake from now on.’
Toots and Nina laughed, grateful to Raspy for making light of a bad situation. But they also knew that this was his way of coping with fear.
‘This is not good,’ he hooted. ‘This happened to your grandfather, before...’ Raspy paused and a silence filled the air.
‘What?’ Toots hooted in alarm. ‘Before he vanished?’ The room was silent again.
‘We must take you to the Order, Toots,’ Relck decided, fearing the worst. He paused as he noticed something under Nina’s bed. He knelt on the floor, reaching under the bed to pull out a scrap of fabric.
‘What is that? Nina asked him.
‘It’s your soothing blanket and teddy bear from when you were tiny.’ ‘My what?’ Nina looked at him in confusion.
‘You had this blanket with you constantly until you were four. It’s strange; you said you gave it to the troll princess that lived under your bed. None of us had ever heard of them, so we thought you had just made it up. This is very weird; it must be a clue.’ His head snapped up.
‘Quickly now, Raspy, and I will take Toots to the Order. You tell Mom and Dad, Nina, and we will meet you there.
Nina looked at Toots, her eyes glazed over with tears. She hugged her friend quickly and they left. Nina only saw the back of them as they disappeared through the mirror.
She rushed into her parents’ room and explained what was going on. Hugging her parent’s goodbye, she dashed back to her mirror. They called out to her, ‘We are with you.’
With a smile, she pulled out her witch’s pouch and whispered the magic words. ‘Witchy Witchy woo, Mother Nature hear my cry.’ She reached in and sprinkled her magic dust. ‘I offer you wing of a bat and the tail of a rat. Through time and space send me to the Order.’
Touching the mirror, she vanished, appearing in the Great Hall wearing thick dark clothes, as if she was meant to be somewhere else. There was a crowd gathered there.
Relck turned to greet Nina, and, by the look on his face, she could tell it was not good news. She stood rooted to the spot, preparing to hear what Relck had to tell her.
‘He’s okay, Nina,’ Relck said as he hugged his little sister. ‘You best go to see our Grandma, see if she can help.’
‘Grandma! How can she help?’
‘She knows more about tales than anyone, remember?’ Relck looked down at her. ‘Remember, I’m with you whenever you need me.’
There wasn’t time to see Toots or Dillwyn, so she ran back to the mirror and whispered the magic words.
‘Witchy Witchy woo, Mother Nature hear my cry.’ She sprinkled her magic dust. ‘I offer you the whisker of a rat and the wing of bat. Through day and night, send me to Auntie Paulina’s.’
With a swish, a swoosh and a spark from her wand, she touched the mirror and vanished.
Nina stepped out of the mirror and into Grandma’s bedroom. The older woman sat waiting for her on the bed.
‘Hello my dear,’ she called.
Nina started, surprised to find her grandma expecting her.
‘You took your time,’ Grandma said, grinning.
Remembering the red cloak in the wardrobe, Nina felt uncomfortable. ‘Where you expecting me? How did you know I was coming to see you?’ she asked.
‘I know everything, my sweet girl,’ Grandma replied cheekily.
Noting the sadness on Nina’s face, Grandma stopped her game. ‘What is it Nina?’ she asked.
‘Do you know anything about trolls that live under beds?’ Nina asked tremulously.
‘Ah, so you finally met your old friend the princess again,’ said Grandma.
‘Who is the princess? So, the trolls are real? What are they?’ Nina asked hurriedly.
‘What a lot of questions!’ exclaimed Grandma. ‘The trolls have lived for as long as the stories have been told. Come, sit here and I will tell you all I know.’
‘In the dark of the night something waits and lurks under your bed. You shouldn’t be afraid of the trolls; they come to take the nightmares away. They have a special gift for recognising bad dreams. They lie in wait for their ears to tingle. Their dance begins with the stamping of their feet. Their magic lies in the nets they carry to scoop out the fear and sadness from your dreams. As soon as the dance finishes they vanish into the cracks between the walls. They travel to the hidden grotto in where the king and queen live, taking the unwanted dreams with them, to be consumed by the dark cavern.’
Nina filled in her grandma on everything that had happened. ‘What do I do now, Grandma?’
‘The only thing we can do is try to use the box of lies to find the hidden grotto,’ Grandma replied thoughtfully.
‘We?’ asked Nina in surprise.
‘Of course,’ said Grandma. ‘I can’t leave you to do this on your own.
It could be dangerous.’
Together the pair went downstairs and into the dining room. The box stood on the table, as if it were waiting for them. Sitting down, discussed what they should do.
‘You need to write a question that is the exact opposite of the answer you want,’ Grandma instructed.
Nina took a scrap of paper from her witch’s pouch.
‘It has to be written in magic,’ Grandma told her. ‘Use your wand.’
Nina pointed her wand at the paper and the words ‘where is the found grotto?’ appeared on it. She lifted the lid and placed the paper inside the box. Then she held it in her hands and turned it upside down. A light shone from every side as the magic symbols began to glow from within.
Just as suddenly, it stopped. Grandma and Nina looked at each other in amazement. Nina reached out and slowly turned the box upside down, opened the lid and grabbed the paper. Sure enough there was now an answer on the other side.
The hidden grotto lies in the Scottish Highlands, but you must travel through the mirror that hides in the mushroom under the Firma.
Nina was confused. ‘How can I travel through a mushroom?’ she asked.
‘Magic has a funny way of helping us witches through the tough tasks,’ Grandma reminded her. ‘But we may have to make a potion for shrinking witches.’
‘What!’ Nina looked worried. ‘I’ve never taken a potion before.’
‘It will be fine, my dear,’ Grandma reassured her. ‘We have to go to the attic.’
Mystified, Nina followed Grandma out the apartment door, and into the lift. As they travelled upwards in silence, Nina could barely contain her excitement about experiencing her first potion.
‘You didn’t see what numbers I pressed, did you my dear?’ Grandma asked her abruptly.
Nina was bemused. Grandma had pressed the button for the top floor three times, right in front of her eyes.
‘No Grandma,’ she replied dutifully, catching on.
‘That’s a good girl.’ Grandma chuckled, winking. The lift stopped and the doors slowly opened to reveal the roof of the apartment block. In the centre stood a door, all on its own. Grandma pulled out her wand from her cardigan. Nina had never seen her grandma’s wand before. It curved into a point that looked strangely like her nose.
Grandma touched the top right corner of the door with her wand. She did the same to the left and then drew a straight line downwards with her wand. A light shone through the keyhole.
Just as Nina crouched to peek through the keyhole, the door opened.
‘Grandma,’ said Nina curiously, ‘you didn’t say a spell to Mother Nature.’
Grandma turned and winked her. ‘I haven’t had to since I turned, err... you’ll find out in good time, d
ear.’
The door opened to reveal a large room. In the centre stood a huge cauldron. The room was full of shelves that held all kinds of books. Also, sitting there were jars containing the wings of bats, warts from toads, whiskers from cats, and all manner of leaves and herbs.
Walking towards the cauldron, Grandma lifted her wand and struck it towards the base. With a loud whoosh, flames engulfed the cauldron. Grandma reached for a book titled The Red Witch’s Spells.
Nina froze. This was the second time she had seen evidence that suggested her grandma was the Red Witch.
‘Come on, dear,’ Grandma called softly, her book in one hand and her wand in the other.
‘I need the wing of a bat, the tail of a newt, the bark of whispering willow and a dash of milk. Hurry, dear!’
Nina stopped looking at her and fetched the things she’d asked for. As she dropped them in, the flames grew higher and whatever was inside bubbled and boiled.
Grandma lifted her wand and took a big swing, as if she meant to throw it in as well. Thrusting her arm forward, she stopped with the tip of her wand just touching the water. A poof of green smoke shot up, catching Grandma in the face and turning her green. She looked at Nina and they both burst into laughter.
‘I only washed my hair last month as well!’ Grandma said with a wink. ‘Pass me that small bottle on the shelf, dear.’
Lifting a ladle from the cauldron, she poured the potion into the bottle. Grandma turned to look at Nina.
‘There you go! Once you reach the hidden grotto, drink one sip of that.’
‘Yuk!’ Nina cried. ‘I have to drink a bat’s wing and the tail of a newt? That’s disgusting!’
‘You haven’t tasted it yet,’ Grandma replied. ‘It’s even worse than it looks. But part of being a witch is doing things you don’t like sometimes. Once you want to leave the grotto, all you need to do is have another sip and you should become your normal size again.’ Grandma waved her wand and the smoke vanished. ‘Now, it’s time you were off, my dear.’ ‘You’re not coming with me?’ Nina asked in surprise.
‘No, my dear,’ Grandma said. ‘This is your task. Besides, I’m too old now. I need to rest.’
Not knowing what to make of the whole situation, Nina looked at her grandma. ‘Can I go get Toots and Relck?’
‘No, my dear.’ Grandma smiled. ‘It’s just you, I’m afraid. But I am with you.’
Those were the words that Relck had taught her to say to Toots. It must have something to do with being able to travel through the mirror, she thought.
As they walked back onto the rooftop, the door shut behind them, and the magical light faded quickly. Entering the lift, Grandma pressed the button for her floor. Nina rode down quietly, worried about what was ahead. She smiled at Grandma as the lift stopped, trying not to show how scared she was.
The lift stopped and they walked back inside Auntie Paulina’s apartment. Grandma turned to her.
‘I hope you’re ready for what’s ahead. If you ever need help, all you have to do is touch the mirror and I’ll be with you.’
With a deep breath, Nina walked into the bedroom and touched the mirror. ‘Witchy Witchy Woo, Mother Nature hear my cry.’ She sprinkled her magic dust around her. ‘I offer you the whisker of a cat and the wing of a bat. Through time and space, take me to the hidden grotto.’ With a swish and a swoosh of her wand she was gone.
Nina landed in a puddle at the edge of a forest. She looked down to find herself dressed in tartan clothes. There was nothing for it but to plunge forth into the unknown. She took her first tentative steps forward, noting the eerie atmosphere created by the shadowy trees. They seemed to be following her every move. She was following a narrow trail, clearly made by something small. She kept her wand at the ready, certain she was about to stumble past a clue.
As she reached the end of the trail, she started in surprise. Hundreds of tiny mushrooms lay before her, stretching on into the distance.
‘This must be where I take the potion,’ she thought to herself. Nina reached into her pocket and pulled the little bottle out, examining it closely. It was an awful sludgy green colour. As she opened the lid a horrid smell filled her nostrils. Closing her eyes, she took a sip. Whoosh! A blast of strong wind surrounded her. She felt as if she was being forced to the ground as her body shrunk. She opened her tiny new eyes and looked around.
The world looked very different from this perspective. The mushrooms, which had previously been tiny, now seemed to tower over her. She placed the potion into her witch’s pouch and began to cast a spell of light.
‘Witchy Witchy Woo, Mother Nature hear my cry.’ She sprinkled her magic dust. ‘I offer you the tail of a newt and the whisker of a rat. Through the darkest of nights to the lightest of days, give me the power of light.’
With a swish, a swoosh and a spark from her wand, light began to glow around her. Nina continued through the mushrooms until she noticed a large one with a mirror on its trunk.
She reached out to touch the mirror. It seemed like she did not need a spell to use this one, as she flowed easily through to the other side. Four tunnels lay before her, and the smell of frozen earth filled her nostrils. She turned this way and that, wondering which tunnel to take. A faint light was coming from the one on her left, so she made her choice. Heading towards it, she heard a scuffle and murmuring voices. Nina stepped into the light, noticing the icicles hanging from the frozen ceiling. She was in a large hall filled with small green creatures. They looked like humans, but not one of them could have been more than a foot high. Silence filled the air as the room turned as one to look at her.
‘A witch!’ one exclaimed.
‘Is it the Red Witch?’ another asked.
A whisper echoed through the room.
‘Why, my friend has come at last,’ came a softer voice.
The crowd parted as a small creature approached her. It was dressed in mixed tartan clothes and wore a small crown atop its head.
‘Hello, my friend,’ it said. ‘My name is Nasharie. I am princess of the trolls that live under the bed. Did you get my clues?’ ‘The blanket?’ Nina asked, still a little confused.
‘Yes,’ replied the troll, ‘do you have it with you?’
‘No,’ Nina said, ‘but I can get it for you.’
‘Thank you, my friend. It is a most treasured possession. You gave it to me when you were younger. You were my first dream catcher to protect and you could tell I was afraid so you gave me your blanket. I rarely let it out of my sight.’
‘What am I here for?’ Nina asked the princess, still unsure.
‘We need your help, Nina. My mother, our queen, has been taken. We are being held captive in this frozen world and are being forced to take good dreams and leave the bad. It is not in our nature to do this, so the clans are fighting with each other. Our song is also gone. Even my father refuses to sing.’
‘Sing?’ Nina asked in confusion.
‘Our kind have always loved to sing,’ the princess told her. ‘We have special senses. Our ears tingle and then our dance begins. The King of the Trolls, my father, would sing to us after every bad dream we took.’ ‘How exactly did your mother disappear?’ Nina enquired.
‘She vanished while out catching dreams,’ replied the princess. All we could find were icicles and frozen footprints. Lying beside these was a scroll with demands on it. But be warned – it is a cursed scroll! The clans are blaming the ice goblins, but no one knows where they are.’ ‘But how can I help?’ asked Nina.
‘We need a seer or a witch powerful enough to find out where they are,’ said the princess.
‘Okay,’ said Nina. ‘I will go to the Order and see if my brother Relck or the seer have any clues.’
‘Thank you,’ said Nasharie, hugging Nina tightly.
‘It’s my pleasure,’ Nina told her. ‘But I must go now. It’s getting late and I need to find Relck.’
The clans followed Nina back out the strange entrance, wishing her good luck. She ste
pped forward and passed through it, finding herself amongst the mushrooms again. With a sigh, she reached into her witch’s pouch and drank a bit more of her grandma’s potion.
The wind whooshed around her once more and she shot upwards, back to her normal size. There was just enough light from her wand to direct her back to the puddle, and she hurried through the woods.
Nina withdrew her wand and grabbed her witch’s pouch. She did not want to spend any more time in this place.
‘Witchy Witchy Woo, Mother Nature hear my cry,’ she said. ‘I offer you the wart of a toad and the wing of a bat.’ She sprinkled her magic dust. ‘Through time and space take me to the Order.’
With a swish and a swoosh of her wand she touched the puddle and was gone.
She reappeared almost instantly in the dimly lit Great Hall. She jumped as a shadow moved in the corner.
‘Hello, my sister,’ said a friendly voice. ‘What have you found out?’
‘Relck!’ cried Nina. ‘I’ve met trolls that live under the bed. Their clans think it’s the ice goblins that are causing all this terrible heartache. They suspect them of kidnapping the Queen of the Trolls.’
Relck was proud of what his sister had achieved. He got up and walked over to give his sister a hug, pleased that she was safe.
She returned his embrace. ‘Why aren’t you asleep, Relck?’ she asked, curious.
‘I couldn’t rest while you were out all alone now, could I?’ he returned
‘I guess not,’ she said. ‘What we need to do now is find the seer, or a powerful witch. Maybe even the Red Witch,’ she hinted, still curious about this mysterious woman.
Relck paused, then agreed. ‘I’ll go see if she’s around,’ he told her.
‘Where does she live?’
Relck smiled. ‘In a tree,’ he said. ‘She can be a little eccentric.’ He looked at his sister, noticing how tired she looked. ‘Why don’t you go get some sleep? Toots and Dillwyn are in the dormitories and there is a spare bed next to them.’
Nina was so excited she forgot how tired she was. She has missed the support and company of her best friend. She slipped inside, through the creaking door, and saw him perched on the end of a bed. Sneaking into the bed next to him, she drifted off to sleep almost instantly.
