Summer of Elves

by Joanne Vruno

  “When your Dad was little, I admit, I’d heal his illnesses. But that was when he was really little, before he could let others know of his ailments. I’ve lessened the effects of an illness so recovery would be quicker, and have also done that with injuries. I did that last night, which might have been the cause of your dad’s recovery. He had magic from both of us. We’ll have to talk about who is reacting to what. Too much magic is too noticeable.”

  “So my hoping he was all right and your magic to heal quickly made him all better?” I was still trying to understand what I was hearing. Every day I was finding out I could do more and more things that would never have crossed my mind before. Part of me was in shock with this realization. The other part thought it was really cool. I could do things nobody else would ever believe. Things only read about in books or seen on television. Well, they weren’t make believe anymore for me. They were my new reality, and Grandma just said there would be more. What’s happening to me? Is there a way to make it stop? I’m not sure I’m able to control all these powers. I guess I have no choice.

  “With magic it only takes a thought, a wish, or a command, and it becomes real. So your hoping would’ve done it. I would’ve told you, but I thought you were months away from acquiring this ability,” said Grandma.

  “So, every time I hope for something or wish for something, it comes true?”

  “Not every time. Not every wish will come true. You can’t wish for someone to be your friend, for material things, wealth, or for someone to fall in love with you and expect it to happen. Feelings can’t be changed, just as knowledge can’t be changed. This doesn’t mean you can’t wish for things. It just means you can’t magically make these things happen. They are things you need to earn on your own,” said Grandma. “Transporting and healing are two of your strongest guardianship abilities. There’s one more, but you have to be in danger for that one to work. With that one, I think we can wait.”

  “You’re not going to tell me? What if it happens out of the blue and humans are around?”

  Grandma smiled. “You can only use it on creatures as a defense maneuver. I think we need to master the two that have already appeared before we work on the other. I’ve only had to use the other a dozen or so times, so it can wait.”

  The unknown scared me some. These other two powers were not little ones, but instead were major responsibilities. I could move anyone at any time or heal anyone at any time. And then a thought came to me: “Grandma, could you and I heal a major disease? Could we wipe out cancers or AIDs?”

  “No, Aly, it would be amazing if we could, but diseases are spread by human cells, bacteria, viruses,and germs. Those are things out of our control. There’re too many varieties of diseases, and we don’t know of every individual who has them. We’re unable to make a mass request for healing. The world is too vast for us to reach out that widely with our powers. We can only help the ones who are close to us. Though we do help with healing indirectly by protecting the elves. Because of the elves’ abilities to protect nature, the plants that cure some of these diseases may be saved from extinction. That is our greatest power. The individual power for healing was gifted to us mainly for elf protection.”

  “I get it, but could I use my powers to heal you if nobody was around?”

  “Yes, if nobody was around, we can look out for each other. That actually also protects the elves, because they need at least one of us. I could have had all your scrapes disappear the other day when you fell, but I thought better of it at the moment. I didn’t want to scare you,” said Grandma. “We have to be extremely careful when we use these powers, and use them sparingly—only when they are really needed.”

  “Can I cure myself of a sickness or injury?” I really thought that would be great. I’ll never have to be sick again.

  “Yes, you can, but know that once in a while it’s normal to be sick, so making it a milder case is what I have done sometimes,” said Grandma. “It might be a safer way to do things.”

  Now that’s one of the major advantages of being a guardian. I’ll definitely heal stomach flu. It’s the yuckiest!

  “There’s something you can’t do, though. You can’t revive someone who’s died from an injury or illness. Once that’s happened, it’s final. You can’t even send them back in time to keep them from the harm that caused their death. Once one’s gone, he or she will stay gone,” said Grandma, looking really sad. “I tried with my mom.”

  I went and gave her a hug then. I would’ve tried that also if I had thought it would work. The more time I spent with Grandma, the more I realized we were very similar.

  Chapter 22

  Grandma promised there would be no transporting training on hockey days, and I was grateful. I had just started the summer hockey season and had hockey two nights a week: one was a practice night and the other a scrimmage night. I was so happy to be out on the ice again. The ice rink was always one of my favorite places. I’d loved soaring across the ice with the wind in my face since I was very little. At every practice, I’d test myself and try to go faster than the time before. For two hours a night on the ice I was in my glory—freedom, with no creatures to think about.

  Tonight was our first scrimmage game of the season. Our team the Johnson/Como Girls, were up against the Tartan Girls at their arena. Both teams were really pumped up. The Tartan goalie was known for her quick saves, and we all knew our shots on goal needed to be frequent and accurate. Our best offense was to wear her down. Our team’s players on offense were extremely strong this year, which made the two teams closely matched. It was going to be an exciting game, and we all knew it.

  I started as the left wing in the first line. The game was a constant back and forth across the ice with no goals. In the third period, I had a breakaway. As I spun down the ice as fast as I could, I kept telling myself I had to get this goal. I skated straight to the goalie with amazing speed, and within three feet of the goal, quickly turned to the right and took my shot. The puck slid through a narrow gap between the goalie’s skate and the post. I had made the goal!

  I quickly skated towards the center of the rink with my arms up in victory. My teammates came out to congratulate me with hugs, and I returned to the bench as the next line of players moved onto the ice. The whole bench was excited as we watched the end of the game. No other goals were scored. We had won with just my goal. I high-fived all my teammates as we headed out to shake hands with the Tartan team.

  My dad came running over as I exited the rink. “Aly, you did it!” He lifted me up in a giant hug. I could feel his pride. He wore the largest grin I’d ever seen. My dad had always been my number one fan. He was the one who taught me how to play hockey when I was four years old.

  We celebrated by stopping at the Dairy Queen on the way home. DQ was the place our family always headed after a special event. As we sat in the booth eating our Blizzards, we kept reliving the goal. That is when it dawned on me: was it me or my magic? I had repeated in my head, I need to make this goal! Did my magic make it come true? Suddenly I felt a bit like I had cheated. I couldn’t say anything to my dad, of course, so I kept up the happy face, though I felt sick to my stomach. The goal wasn’t meaningful if it was due to magic. I wanted des­perately to call Grandma. I knew she could tell me.

  When we got home, the talk of my goal made me want to cry. My dad kept describing the goal to my mom and Emily. I finally couldn’t take it anymore and told my family I was really exhausted and needed to get some sleep. I went straight to bed. Elsa and Enar came in to check on me. I told them my thoughts, and they both said they believed it wasn’t magic, that magic didn’t work that way. I wish I never repeated “I need this goal” in my head. I didn’t say “wish” so maybe it was me after all. Oh, how magic can interfere with my life! A great moment now been taken away. It just isn’t fair! Even with my hockey, the magic sneaks in.

  I hardly slept that nig
ht, being so frustrated with the situation. When I got to Grandma’s house, I let it pour out. I told her about every part of the game, not leaving one thing out, and then I asked her, “Did I make that goal by using magic?”

  “Oh, Aly, of course not. You made that goal because of your hockey skills.”

  “Really?”

  “Really!” exclaimed Grandma with a smile. “Your physical skills can’t be tampered with by magic. We might have practiced magic skills in defense against creatures, but those skills have nothing to do with the physical strength, aim, and agility that made that goal last night. You didn’t transport anyone or anything—it was all you.”

  “So I made that goal!”

  “Yes, you did! I’m so proud of you. I credit your Swedish heritage for your hockey skills,” said Grandma, giving me a big hug.

  The pride in my achievement finally hit home and I was beaming inside.

  Chapter 23

  It was another perfect summer day: sunny but not too hot or sticky. I de­cided I could not just hang out around the house today. Since it was a Satur­day, I wanted to have some free time away from training. I wanted another “normal” day of just being human. I called several friends to see if they wanted to get together, but they all were busy, so I decided to take Chica for a walk. I gave a shout out to all my family to join us, but they all said they were busy, so it was just the dog and me.

  I decided to walk the two blocks to Battle Creek Recreational Center, thinking maybe I’d run into some friends there. Battle Creek was actually a creek with three different park areas around it. The creek flowed from the eastern suburbs into the St. Paul city limits, and ended up in the Mississippi River. It was named for a battle between the Ojibwe (Chippewa) and Lakota tribes. The parks were all in Ramsey County and were kept for the most part all natural with wooded and prairie areas and some walking paths winding through them. One of the parks even had some beautiful white sand caves, but today I was heading for the one connected with the playground I grew up on, located about a mile from the woods by Grandma’s house.

  The five baseball diamonds were already full with T-ball and softball teams, and the tennis courts had players. I guess everyone felt like I did today. I scanned the fields for any of my friends, as I headed to the playground and the big picnic pavilion near the recreation building. None of my friends were there so I kept walking.

  Soon we turned onto the dirt path bordered by prairie grasses that came up to my knees. That was when Chica bolted and tore the leash out of my hands, charging up the hill to the wooded area, barking nonstop as she went. I chased after her, calling her back, but she was too focused on whatever she was chasing. A rabbit I guessed. She had grown accustomed to squirrels, but rabbits didn’t come into our yard often and she was obsessed with them. I should of held the leash more tightly! I scolded myself as my search for Chica led me into the woods. She had vanished from sight, so I just followed her barking.

  I had stopped to catch my breath when I heard Chica squeal, and that was when my adrenaline kicked in. I tore off in her direction. My mind was racing. Had she run into a skunk or a raccoon? Was she hurt? The squeals were getting louder, so I knew I was close. As I rounded the bend of the dirt path, I saw her off in a wooded area on the right. A dwarf about four feet high had her dangling by her neck, with a knife in his other hand. Chica was wiggling, frantically trying to get loose, but the dwarf’s hold was secure.

  “I’ll skin you and eat you, you little pest of a creature. Nothing bites me and lives!” said the dwarf in a familiar voice, as his knife closed in towards Chica’s throat. I knew at that moment it was the same dwarf that had threatened Silver. Chica was almost as long as the dwarf was tall, her back up against the dwarf’s body as his knife moved in closer to her neck. I watched in horror.

  “Stop and put my dog down!’” I shouted before reality hit me. The dwarf turned and glared at me. His sly smile curled through his gray scraggly beard, which matched his long greasy hair. He was dressed in ragged clothes of brown and gray, or maybe they just looked that way because they had various stains of mud, grass, and dried blood on them. Around one shoulder hung a strap that held a pouch of supplies and around the other shoulder a sheath with a large sword handle sticking out. He had a large knife dangling by his waist on another sheath.

  He looked extremely dangerous as he spoke. “So we have a little girlie human that can see me, huh? Trying to save your little pet here? Now who may you be?” his voice sneered, as his eyes narrowed on me like a tiger eyeing its prey. The look sent shivers up my spine.

  Great, Aly! Now look what you’ve done! How am I going to get out of this? I can’t transport him. He’s holding Chica. She’d be transported with him. I have to think of something, and quick. I decided to try to get him to release Chica. I started chanting in my head: I wish for the dwarf to release Chica. After the third chant Chica was free, but unknown to me was the dwarf’s speed. Soon I was up against him with the knife not far from my neck.

  “Now, little girlie, do I eat you or hold you hostage?” he said, as he reached up and took hold of my hair and pulled it hard. I wanted to cry, but instead stood stoic, not showing him any weakness.

  Chica, who had fallen silent on the ground when released, suddenly sprang into action and bit down hard on the dwarf’s leg. I managed to escape his grip at that moment and rushed out of his reach. His swearing was all I heard as he kicked his leg, sending my dog flying three feet into some brush. He quickly ran towards Chica. I was filled with anger and fear as I screamed, “Stop! Now!”

  The next thing I saw was the tree next to the dwarf begin to move its branches towards him. The tree branches seemed to be growing in length as they grasped the dwarf and began spinning him around, rapidly encircling him in a net of branches. I stood unable to move, as I witnessed the dwarf completely disappear in the twined branches. Not one part of his body, sword or clothing was visible. I was not able to look away from the sight until I heard Grandma’s voice. “Aly, are you all right?”

  I spun around and ran into Grandma’s arms. I knew I was finally safe as I cried on her shoulder.

  “Did he hurt you?” Grandma asked as she looked me over for injuries.

  “No, but he hurt Chica. Where is she?” I searched in the direction she had been thrown and found her unconscious in a bush, barely breathing. I knelt down beside her and held her in my arms. “Grandma, I think she’s dying.” Tears had already started flowing down my cheeks. “She went to save me by attacking the dwarf and now . . .” I could not speak anymore. I felt like I could not even breathe.

  Grandma walked over and took Chica from my arms and spoke to her in a soft voice. Grandma’s hand was floating over the top of her as she spoke. Then she handed my pet back to me. “She’ll be all right. She just needs to rest now.”

  I looked at Grandma through my tears and then down at Chica. I could see the dog’s breathing had returned to normal. “You saved her?”

  Grandma smiled at me. “I had to. She fought like a true soldier in battle to save you.”

  “She did,” I said, as I continued petting Chica. She still had not opened her eyes. She lay partially in my lap as I gave her a hug.

  Instantly, a group of six elves appeared out of nowhere. Grandma looked at me and said, “Aly, it’s time for us to leave now.”

  Within seconds Grandma, Chica and I, were sitting in Grandma’s living room surrounded by Silver, Lunt, Lina, and Berg. Grandma had transported us to her home.

  Lina immediately came to my side and gave me a hug. Then she sat down next to me and started petting Chica as she checked the dog’s condition. “Her breathing is strong, but her body’s exhausted. She’ll sleep for a while to regain her strength.”

  “She saved my life by attacking the dwarf,” I stated, as I hugged the brown-and-white neck of the sleeping animal.

  “Loyalty and love are a
dog’s strongest traits,” said Lina.

  For a moment I had almost forgotten the others in the room until Silver said, “Aly, we need to know what happened. With every encounter, we need the facts so we can be prepared for the next.”

  I looked at her in frustration. All Silver ever wants is facts! No concern for how I’m doing or how Chica is, just facts! I let out a big sigh, directed at her, before starting to tell of the events. Unlike Silver, Lina took my hand and held it as I spoke, patting it to comfort me. Grandma also moved closer on the couch behind me, laying her hand on my shoulder to give me strength.

  All eyes were on me as I relived the events that had just happened. When I finished I looked at Silver, awaiting her criticism. To my surprise, it never came, so I spoke up, “I know I messed up by letting the dwarf know I could see him, but when I saw the knife up near Chica’s neck, I had to stop him.”

  “It was the only way to save Chica, in my opinion,” said Silver. “You had the choice of going up against the dwarf or staying silent and losing your dog. Dwarves are menacing and can’t be easily manipulated. There really were only two options, and you chose the right one. You protected a family member,” said Silver. “I’m impressed with how quickly you made your decision. You knew transporting wasn’t going to help, so you had the dwarf release Chica, which in battle, normally gives one an advantage. Unfortunately, we have not taught you enough about dwarf characteristics for you to be aware of dwarf speed, but I’m not sure how you would have avoided that. It was lucky Chica felt the same about you as you do her. Aly, with your tactics today you saved Chica, along with yourself.”

  “Grandma, thanks for taking care of the dwarf. How did you do it and what happened to the dwarf?”

  “Aly, I didn’t do it. You did. You accessed your third big power.”