by Ruby Forrest
She reached out a hand, reached out towards him, longing to pull him in and draw him close, to feel him near again, feel something, anything. She was so close, so close, and so close. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears-
When Hanna- Gale woke up the following morning, she was left with a dazed feeling, as if the previous night had been a dream. She woke with a start, the same recurring dream twisting in her head again and again.
It didn’t take long for her to collect herself and, when she did, everything flooded back to her and she sunk back against the pillows, sighing heavily. She was exhausted- there was no denying that. She had tossed and turned all night, even though she was sleeping on the softest sheets.
She had sat at the top of the stairs for what seemed like hours, watching the world darken around her. She had just sat and thought about Casey, about what he had told her and how insane it had all seemed and felt to her. She felt a little ill as she remembered his words, threatening, confident and so very self-assured.
She had eventually dragged herself to bed with slow, tired steps, sinking into one of the master bedrooms, after she had checked and double checked that everything was locked. She then locked the door to this wing, locked the door to her bedroom and curled up beneath the covers.
She had fallen asleep like that, curled beneath the sheets, wondering what she was meant to do next, now that she knew she had a biker gang banging at her door. Now that the light was filtering through the curtains, Hanna- Gale knew it was time to get up and face the day.
She didn’t particularly want to, but there wasn’t anything else for it. So she stood up and headed to the bathroom, deciding to run herself a bath, a lavish one at that. She had packed her own toiletries and after a quick rinse of the bath, she filled it up with plenty of beautiful smelling bubbles and sank into the warmth.
It felt amazing. The bubbles and hot water on her skin helped her to relax and the bath was so lovely and deep that she felt like she was really able to soak. This made her smile, happiness bubbling in her chest and making her feel settled and content even in this absolutely crazy new world she had walked into.
With a sigh, Hanna- Gale reached for an old book that she had brought with her, one of the old fairy tale stories that kept her company late at night when things got crazy, and had helped her through both her childhood and adult years. She smiled faintly, hoping that reading the text would help her feel more settled, help her feel more at ease in her own skin, more ready to take in the day that was in front of her.
The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids
There was quite a long time ago an old goat who had seven little children, and cherished them with all the affection of a mother for her youngsters. Multi day she needed to go into the timberland and get some sustenance. So she called each of the seven to her and stated: 'Dear kids, I need to go into the woodland, be alert against the wolf; in the event that he comes in, he will eat up all of you—skin, hair, and everything. The knave regularly camouflages himself, however you will know him on the double by his unpleasant voice and his dark feet.' The children stated: 'Dear mother, we will take great care of ourselves; you may leave with no uneasiness.' Then the old one bleated, and went on her way with a simple personality. It was not some time before somebody thumped at the house-entryway and called: 'Open the entryway, dear kids; your mom is here, and has carried something back with her for every one of you.' But the little children realized that it was the wolf, by the harsh voice. 'We won't open the entryway,' cried they, 'you are not our mom. She has a delicate, lovely voice, yet your voice is unpleasant; you are the wolf!' Then the wolf left to a retailer and got himself an extraordinary chunk of chalk, ate this and made his voice delicate with it. At that point he returned, thumped at the entryway of the house, and called: 'Open the entryway, dear kids, your mom is here and has carried something back with her for every one of you.' But the wolf had laid his dark paws against the window, and the kids saw them and cried: 'We won't open the entryway, our mom has not dark feet like you: you are the wolf!' Then the wolf raced to a cook and stated: 'I have harmed my feet, rub some batter over them for me.' And when the dough puncher had rubbed his feet over, he hurried to the mill operator and stated: 'Strew some white dinner over my feet for me.' The mill operator pondered internally: 'The wolf needs to delude somebody,' and can't; however the wolf stated: 'On the off chance that you won't do it, I will eat up you.' Then the mill operator was anxious, and made his paws white for him. Really, this is the method for humankind. So now the lowlife went for the third time to the house-entryway, thumped at it and stated: 'Open the entryway for me, youngsters, your dear little mother has returned home, and has brought each one of you something over from the backwoods with her.' The little children cried: 'First demonstrate to us your paws that we may know whether you are our dear little mother.' Then he put his paws in through the window and when the children saw that they were white, they trusted that all he said was valid, and opened the entryway. In any case, who should come in yet the wolf! They were startled and needed to shroud themselves. One sprang under the table, the second into the bed, the third into the stove, the fourth into the kitchen, the fifth into the organizer, the 6th under the washing-bowl, and the seventh into the clock-case. Be that as it may, the wolf discovered them all, and utilized no awesome function; in a steady progression he gulped them down his throat. The most youthful, who was in the clock-case, was the just a single he didn't discover. At the point when the wolf had fulfilled his hunger he took himself off, laid himself down under a tree in the green glade outside, and started to rest. Before long subsequently the old goat returned home again from the backwoods. Ok! what a sight she saw there! The house-entryway stood completely open. The table and seats were tossed down, the washing-bowl lay broken to pieces, and the bedcovers and cushions were pulled off the bed. She looked for her youngsters, however they were mysteriously gone. She called them in a steady progression by name, yet nobody replied. Finally, when she went to the most youthful, a delicate voice cried: 'Dear mother, I am in the clockcase.' She took the child out, and it disclosed to her that the wolf had come and had eaten all the others. At that point you may envision how she sobbed over her poor youngsters. Finally in her despondency she went out, and the most youthful child kept running with her. When they went to the glade, there lay the wolf by the tree and wheezed so noisy that the branches shook. She took a gander at him on each side and saw that something was moving and battling in his glutted stomach. 'Ok, sky,' she stated, 'is it conceivable that my poor youngsters whom he has gulped down for his dinner, can be as yet alive?' Then the child needed to run home and get scissors, and a needle and string, and the goat cut open the creature's stomach, and scarcely had she influenced one cut, than one little child to push its take off, and when she had cut more remote, every one of the six sprang out in a steady progression, and were all still alive, and had endured no damage whatever, for in his eagerness the beast had gulped them down. What cheering there was! They grasped their dear mother, and bounced like a tailor at his wedding. The mother, in any case, stated: 'Now go and search for some huge stones, and we will fill the devilish monster's stomach with them while he is still snoozing.' Then the seven children dragged the stones thither with all speed, and put the greatest number of them into this stomach as they could get in; and the mother sewed him up again in the best scramble, so he didn't know about anything and not even once mixed. At the point when the wolf finally had his fill of rest, he got on his legs, and as the stones in his stomach made him extremely parched, he needed to go to a well to drink. Be that as it may, when he started to walk and to move about, the stones in his stomach thumped against each other and shook. At that point cried he: 'What thunders and tumbles Against my poor bones? I thought 'twas six children, But it feels like enormous stones.' And when he got to the well and stooped over the water to drink, the substantial stones influenced him to fall in, and he suffocated hopelessly. At the point when the seven children saw
that, they came rushing to the spot and cried out loud: 'The wolf is dead! The wolf is dead!' and moved for euphoria circuitous the well with their mom.
The Queen Bee
Two lords' children some time ago went into the world to look for their fortunes; yet they soon fell into an inefficient silly method for living, with the goal that they couldn't return home once more. At that point their sibling, who was a little irrelevant midget, went out to look for his siblings: however when he had discovered them they just giggled at him, to imagine that he, who was so youthful and straightforward, should endeavor to movement through the world, when they, who were so significantly more astute, had been not able get on. Nonetheless, they all set out on their excursion together, and came finally to an ant colony. The two senior siblings would have pulled it down, so as to perceive how the poor ants in their trepidation would keep running about and take away their eggs. In any case, the little midget stated, 'Let the poor things live it up, I won't endure you to inconvenience them.' So on they went, and went to a lake where numerous ducks were swimming about. The two siblings needed to get two, and meal them. In any case, the smaller person stated, 'Let the poor things have a ball, you should not execute them.' Next they went to a bees' nest in an empty tree, and there was so much nectar that it kept running down the storage compartment; and the two siblings needed to light a fire under the tree and murder the honey bees, in order to get their nectar. In any case, the diminutive person kept them down, and stated, 'Let the lovely bugs have a good time, I can't give you a chance to consume them.' finally the three siblings went to a mansion: and as they go by the stables they saw fine steeds remaining there, yet all were of marble, and not a single man was in sight. At that point they experienced every one of the rooms, till they went to an entryway on which were three locks: however amidst the entryway was a wicket, with the goal that they could investigate the following room. There they saw a little dim old man sitting at a table; and they called to him on more than one occasion, yet he didn't hear: be that as it may, they called a third time, and after that he climbed and turned out to them. He didn't state anything, however grabbed hold of them and drove them to a wonderful table secured with a wide range of good things: and when they had eaten and tanked, he demonstrated every one of them to a bedchamber. The following morning he went to the oldest and took him to a marble table, where there were three tablets, containing a record of the methods by which the manor may be embittered.
The primary tablet stated: 'In the wood, under the greenery, lie the thousand pearls having a place with the lord's girl; they should all be found: and in the event that one be missing by set of sun, he who looks for them will be transformed into marble.' The oldest sibling set out, and looked for the pearls the entire day: yet the night came, and he had not discovered the initial hundred: so he was transformed into stone as the tablet had prognosticated. The following day the second sibling embraced the errand; however he succeeded no superior to anything the first; for he could just locate the second hundred of the pearls; and in this way he too was transformed into stone. Finally came the little smaller person's turn; and he looked in the greenery; however it was so elusive the pearls, and the activity was so tedious!— so he sat downward on a stone and cried. What's more, as he sat there, the lord of the ants (whose life he had spared) came to assist him, with five thousand ants; and it was not well before they had discovered every one of the pearls and laid them in a load. The second tablet stated: 'The key of the princess' bed-chamber must be angled up out of the lake.' And as the midget went to its verge, he saw the two ducks whose lives he had spared swimming about; and they jumped down and soon got the key from the base. The third assignment was the hardest. It was to pick out the most youthful and the best of the ruler's three girls. Presently they were all wonderful, and all precisely indistinguishable: yet he was informed that the oldest had eaten a bit of sugar, the following some sweet syrup, and the most youthful a spoonful of nectar; so he was to figure which it was that had eaten the nectar. At that point came the ruler of the honey bees, who had been spared by the little diminutive person from the fire, and she attempted the lips of each of the three; however finally she sat upon the lips of the one that had eaten the nectar: thus the smaller person knew which was the most youthful. In this manner the spell was broken, and the sum total of what who had been transformed into stones got up, and took their legitimate structures. Also, the diminutive person wedded the most youthful and the best of the princesses, and was ruler after her dad's demise; yet his two siblings wedded the other two sisters.
The Elves and the Shoemaker
There was previously a shoemaker, who worked hard and was exceptionally fair: yet at the same time he couldn't gain enough to live upon; and finally all he had on the planet was gone, spare sufficiently cowhide to make one sets of shoes. At that point he cut his cowhide out, all prepared to make up the following day, which means to rise at a young hour early in the day to his work. His still, small voice was clear and his heart light in the midst of every one of his inconveniences; so he went serenely to bed, left the entirety of his considerations to Heaven, and soon nodded off. Toward the beginning of the day after he had said his petitions, he sat himself down to his work; when, to his awesome ponder, there stood the shoes all instant, upon the table. The great man knew not what to state or think at such an odd thing happening. He took a gander at the workmanship; there was not one false line in the entire occupation; everything was so flawless and genuine, that it was a significant perfect work of art. That day a client came in, and the shoes suited him so well that he readily paid a cost higher than normal for them; and the poor shoemaker, with the cash, purchased calfskin enough to make two sets more. At night he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that he may get up and start betimes following day; yet he was spared all the inconvenience, for when he got up early in the day the work was done prepared to his hand. Before long in came purchasers, who paid him abundantly for his products, with the goal that he purchased calfskin enough for four sets more. He cut out the work again medium-term and thought that it was done toward the beginning of the day, as previously; thus it continued for quite a while: what was prepared at night was constantly done by dawn, and the great man soon wound up flourishing and well off once more. One night, about Christmas-time, as he and his significant other were sitting over the fire visiting together, he said to her, 'I should get a kick out of the chance to sit up and observe today around evening time, that we may see it's identity that comes and does my work for me.' The spouse enjoyed the idea; so they exited a light consuming, and concealed themselves in a side of the room, behind a drapery that was hung up there, and watched what might happen. When it was midnight, there came in two minimal stripped smaller people; and they sat themselves upon the shoemaker's seat, took up all the work that was removed, and started to utilize with their little fingers, sewing and rapping and tapping endlessly at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all ponder, and couldn't take his eyes off them. What's more, on they went, till the activity was very done, and the shoes stood prepared for use upon the table. This was some time before dawn; and after that they clamored away as brisk as lightning. The following day the spouse said to the shoemaker. 'These little wights have made us rich, and we should be appreciative to them, and do them a decent turn in the event that we can. I am very sorry to learn them keep running about as they do; and in fact it isn't fair, for they don't have anything upon their backs to keep off the icy. I'll reveal to you what, I will make every one of them a shirt, and a coat and petticoat, and a couple of pantaloons into the deal; and do you make every one of them a little match of shoes.' The idea satisfied the great shoemaker in particular; and one night, when every one of the things were prepared, they laid them on the table, rather than the work that they used to remove, and after that went and concealed themselves, to watch what the little mythical people would do. About midnight in they came, moving and skipping, bounced round the room, and afterward went to take a se
at to their work obviously; yet when they saw the garments lying for them, they giggled and laughed, and appeared to be forcefully enchanted. At that point they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and moved and capered and sprang about, as cheerful as could be; till finally they moved out at the entryway, and away finished the green. The great couple saw them no more; however everything ran well with them from that time forward, as long as they lived.
The Juniper-tree
Long, long prior, approximately two thousand years or something like that, there carried on a rich man with a decent and delightful spouse. They cherished each other beyond all doubt, however saddened much that they had no youngsters. So significantly did they want to have one, that the spouse petitioned God for it day and night, yet they stayed childless. Before the house there was a court, in which grew a juniper-tree. One winter's day the spouse remained under the tree to peel a few apples, and as she was peeling them, she cut her finger, and the blood fell on the snow. 'Ok,' murmured the lady vigorously, 'in the event that I had yet a kid, as red as blood and as white as snow,' and as she talked the words, her heart developed light inside her, and her couldn't help suspecting that her desire was without a doubt, and she came back to the house feeling happy and console. Multi month passed, and the snow had all vanished; at that point one more month passed by, and all the earth was green. So the months tailed each other, and first the trees matured in the forested areas, and soon the green branches became thickly interlaced, and after that the blooms started to fall. By and by the spouse remained under the juniper-tree, and it was so loaded with sweet aroma that her heart jumped for delight, and she was so overwhelmed with her satisfaction, that she fell on her knees. Directly the organic product wound up round and firm, and she was happy and settled; yet when they were completely ready she picked the berries and ate energetically of them, and after that she became pitiful and sick. Before long she called her better half, and said to him, sobbing. 'In the event that I bite the dust, cover me under the juniper-tree.' Then she felt ameliorated and glad once more, and before one more month had passed she had a little kid, and when she saw that it was as white as snow and as red as blood, her satisfaction was great to the point that she kicked the bucket. Her significant other covered her under the juniper-tree, and sobbed sharply for her. By degrees, in any case, his distress became less, and in spite of the fact that on occasion despite everything he lamented over his misfortune, he could go about of course, and later on he wedded once more. He currently had a little girl destined to him; the offspring of his first spouse was a kid, who was as red as blood and as white as snow. The mother adored her girl in particular, and when she took a gander at her and after that took a gander at the kid, it pierced her heart to feel that he would dependably hinder her own kid, and she was constantly figuring how she could get the entire of the property for her. This detestable idea claimed her to an ever increasing extent, and influenced her to carry on unkindly to the kid. She drove him from place to put with cuffings and buffetings, so the poor kid went about in fear, and had no peace from the time he exited school to the time he returned. Multi day the little girl came hurrying to her mom in the store-room, and stated, 'Mother, give me an apple.' 'Yes, my youngster,' said the spouse, and she gave her an excellent apple out of the chest; the chest had a substantial top and an extensive iron bolt. 'Mother,' said the little girl once more, 'may not sibling have one as well?' The mother was furious at this, yet she replied, 'Indeed, when he leaves school.' Just then she watched out of the window and saw him coming, and it appeared as though an abhorrent soul went into her, for she grabbed the apple out of her little girl's hand, and stated, 'You might not have one preceding your sibling.' She tossed the apple into the chest and close it to. The young man currently came in, and the insidious soul in the spouse made her say sympathetically to him, 'My child, will you have an apple?' yet she gave him a mischievous look. 'Mother,' said the kid, 'how loathsome you look! Truly, give me an apple.' The idea went to her that she would slaughter him. 'Accompany me,' she stated, and she lifted up the top of the chest; 'take one out for yourself.' And as he twisted around to do as such, the detestable soul asked her, and crash! down went the cover, and off went the young man's head. At that point she was overpowered with fear at the possibility of what she had done. 'In the event that no one but I can avoid anybody realizing that I did it,' she thought. So she went upstairs to her room, and removed a white hanky from her best cabinet; at that point she set the kid's head again on his shoulders, and bound it with the cloth so nothing could be seen, and put him on a seat by the entryway with an apple in his grasp. Not long after this, little Marleen came up to her mom who was mixing a pot of bubbling water over the fire, and stated, 'Mother, sibling is perched by the entryway with an apple in his grasp, and he looks so pale; and when I requesting that he give me the apple, he didn't reply, and that unnerved me.' 'Go to him once more,' said her mom, 'and on the off chance that he doesn't reply, give him a container on the ear.' So little Marleen went, and stated, 'Sibling, give me that apple,' however he didn't let out the slightest peep; at that point she gave him a crate on the ear, and his take moved off. She was so scared at this, that she ran crying and shouting to her mom. 'Gracious!' she stated, 'I have knocked off sibling's head,' and after that she sobbed and sobbed, and nothing would stop her. 'What have you done!' said her mom, 'yet nobody must think about it, so you should keep quiet; what is done can't be fixed; we will make him into puddings.' And she took the young man and cut him up, made him into puddings, and place him in the pot. Be that as it may, Marleen stood looking on, and sobbed and sobbed, and her attacks the pot, so that there was no need of salt. By and by the father returned home and sat down to his supper; he asked, 'Where is my child?' The mother said nothing, however gave him a huge dish of dark pudding, Marleen still sobbed without stopping. The father again asked, 'Where is my child?' 'Goodness,' addressed the spouse, 'he is gone into the nation to his mom's extraordinary uncle; he will remain there some time.' 'What has he gone there for, and he never at any point said farewell to me!' 'Well, he loves being there, and he revealed to me he ought to be away very a month and a half; he is all around taken care of there.' 'I feel extremely miserable about it,' said the husband, 'on the off chance that it ought not be OK, and he should have said farewell to me.' With this he went ahead with his supper, and stated, 'Little Marleen, for what reason do you sob? Sibling will soon be back.' Then he approached his significant other for all the more pudding, and as he ate, he tossed the bones under the table. Little Marleen went upstairs and removed her best silk tissue from her base cabinet, and in it she wrapped every one of the bones from under the table and conveyed them outside, and all the time she didn't do anything however sob. At that point she laid them in the green grass under the juniper-tree, and she had no sooner done as such, at that point all her pity appeared to abandon her, and she sobbed no more.
