witch’s henchmen. We must leave, now!”
Christy, with a great look of concern on her face, replied, “W-w-what? W-w-witch! What do you mean?” She laughed nervously and retorted, “Witches…there’s no such thing. Right, Ice-Ghost?” Just then, Christy came to a sudden realization. Her acquaintance’s name was… Ice-Ghost. This realization made her feel even worse.
Finally, she turned around and said, “But he looks so harmless. Why do you say such things?”
Gloo looked up at the Ice-Ghost and said, “Well, if it isn’t the Ice-Ghost. Tell me, Ghost, have you been out scaring children again?”
With a worried and, yet, somewhat defiant look, Ice Ghost answered, “Don’t listen to him, Christy. You’re in grave danger now. You don’t know Gloo like I know Gloo. We must hurry before…” at that moment, Gloo’s hands began to fog. They fogged like dry ice does when water is poured onto it. Without saying a word, Gloo lunged forward, his body falling onto the ice as his hands grappled for Christy’s skates. Grabbing her skates with both hands, he held tightly onto them as a thick fog continued to flow. The fog became so thick that Christy’s feet and Gloo’s hands could no longer be seen. After the fog stopped flowing, it quickly cleared and Gloo’s plan was revealed
The witch, thought Ice-Ghost as the blue ring on Gloo’s finger began to brilliantly flash.
Ice-Ghost screamed out, “Oh no! It’s too late. This was a trap, Christy. I think the witch is on her way. Listen and believe what I tell you. Never surrender your skates to the witch. If you do, she will put you in an icy tomb forever.”
As Christy looked on in disbelief, she thought to herself, How could this be happening?
Ice-Ghost continued, “Remember, don’t let her have your skates because…” Just then, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Motionless he stood as he listened. Then, he heard what he feared most, the faint hissing-clicking sounds that seemed to be getting louder with every second. As he turned, his fears were confirmed. Eight large, sheep-sized ice rats came out of nowhere and quickly circled around them. Each rat bared its large, icy, translucent large canine like teeth and was flicking its solid blue tongue. Their white fur looked like white pine needles bristling in the sunlight. All were white, except for their leader, who was a deathly grey. Their eyes were a deep, piercing, menacing grey. Their tails and feet had a decaying blue-greyish color to them. They appeared foul and deadly. Ice-Ghost stood motionless and resolute as he peered into their eyes. Time seemed to stand still.
As if summoned, the thick fog in the northern distance began to rise, revealing an ice castle on a distant mountaintop. It was from this castle that Christy and Ice-Ghost’s greatest troubles would soon begin. Though Christy could not turn to see it, a tiny object rose above the ice-castle and flew in circles, as if searching for something. It stopped and hovered for one meager moment before it plunged down the mountainside toward them. When it was almost directly above Christy and the Ice-Ghost, it stopped and hovered, casting an ominous shadow before it slowly began to descend.
My Lady
It was not until then that Christy noticed the large, black cauldron with a silver rim around it descending onto the ice. Attached to the bottom of the cauldron were two large ice-skating blades. When the cauldron landed, a silver line on the outside of the cauldron formed a door and let itself down. Out of the cauldron stepped a short, but rather thick woman in a long black coat that had a red liner. The collar of her coat was lined with the fur of some poor, unfortunate animal that must have gotten in her way. Her face was round, with rose-colored cheeks and a bulbous nose. She had long, frizzy, grayish ice-white hair. She had grey eyes and grey eyebrows. In her hair was a crystal tiara. She paused for a moment and then asked with a smirk, “Well, what have we here, Gloo? A couple of worthless warm-bloods? Did you bring me out here into this wicked sunshine on this wretched day for this? They’d better be worth my while.”
Hearing this, Gloo let out a gurgled, “Rreeeeeaaaccchhtttt” and some of the ice-rats moved aside.
As the ice-witch entered the circle, Ice-Ghost turned and faced her. The Ice-Witch, looking at Ice-Ghost, entered the circle with a pitiless smile and asked, “Well, Ghost, what brings you around here, pale skin?”
For the first time, Christy noticed how pale Ice-Ghost’s skin actually was.
The witch turned to Christy and in her crackly, husky voice asked, “And who do we have here? Who is this warm-blood that is fouling up my air today?”
Christy, now terrified, said nothing.
The witch slowly examined Christy from head to toe before shouting out uncontrollably, “The skates. The skates! They are here! They are here!!” She pointed two fingers at Ice-Ghost’s feet and a frosty spray shot out, ice-welding Ice-Ghost’s feet to the ice.
Feeling very confident that the Ice-Ghost was helplessly frozen to the ice, she pondered what to do next. Putting her hand to her chin and tapping her lips with her finger, her thoughts raced around again and again. The witch, with a soft crackling voice, murmured her thoughts, Okay, they are here and I am beyond elation. But, you would not have brought them here, Ghost. This could not be. She looked at Ice-Ghost and said, “You swore long ago upon death that I would never see those Ice-Crystals again. Yet, here are the skates with my beloved crystals on them…and so are you. But, then, how?”
The witch, looking perplexed, turned her attention to Gloo.
“Gloo…how?” she sharply demanded.
“My lady,” spoke Gloo, “long have you planned to capture those skates. Our deal and your promise have kept me vigilant.”
“Speak not of the promise, dwarf, or I’ll amend it.”
Gloo bowed his head, “Yes, my lady.” Gloo raised his head and spoke again. “My story, my lady, as I was saying, started by the unlucky and unfair fate of you having been robbed of your jewel and I filched of my freedom. Separate misfortunes put together by an ill fate. Our efforts had seemed in vain.”
“Never mind all that, Gloo. Tell me how and be quick about it before I turn you into something smaller.”
“Yes, my lady. It was only by chance, my lady.”
The World’s Window
Gloo continued, “When our world, Hene, and the shadow moon, Aris, which they call Earth, aligned themselves, I saw the world’s window fall from the sky. I searched for the window until I found it. My curiosity caused me to look through the window when my eyes caught sight of a tiny, ice world and this little girl skating. When she flew off the ice and twirled in the air, I became more intrigued and scratched my beard. As I watched, I thought I saw the sparkle of all sparkles shine from her skates. I pressed my eyes against the window to be sure. There, indeed, embedded in her skates were crystals that shined like I had never seen before. I knew then that I had finally found my lady’s crystals. But I knew my time was running short because I had searched long for the window. As you’re away my lady, the window remains only at brief moments.”
The Ice-Witch listened intently, but never allowed her eyes to drift from the skates.
“It was through the window that I called out to her for help. Knowing warm-bloods can be so unnecessarily compassionate to strangers, I continued to call to her. She came, but somehow the Ice-Ghost caught wind of my plan and came to warn her. I knew then that I had finally found my lady’s crystals. Fate had finally brought forward the greatest desire of my lady, the renowned Ice-Crystals of Wintorene. I felt that it was now possible for my lady to receive that which she had long ago laid claim to.”
“Inchworm, it is no claim. It is by my rights that I own and possess those crystals, shallot. They belong to me!”
Christy finally spoke up. “Please, I don’t know what you want and I really do not have anything, so may I please leave? My mother and father should be getting to the rink any moment now. They’ll be expecting me.” Ice-Ghost kept his eyes fixed on the witch.
The witch mocked Christy, “Oh, please let me go. I really don’t have anything. Pleas
e let me go. Are the people in your world that stupid, mortal girl? Do you see those ice crystals on your skates? Well, they happen to be the truest and most powerful ice-crystals the Maker’s daughter ever made.”
Christy looked at the witch. “But they are not Ice-Crystals. They’re just fake diamonds.”
Hearing this statement, the Ice-Witch screamed in a loud, venomous voice, “Shut your mouth, you warm-blooded putrescence of muck. Never ever refer to the greatest of all Ice-Crystals as such. I would make you vanish forever right now if I thought there was absolutely no risk to the crystals, brat!”
“I am sorry,” said Christy. “But I didn’t know. I don’t know anything about this place or those crystals, so please take the crystals and just let us go.”
The witch mocked Christy again, “Please let me go. Pleeeease.”
She then turned to Gloo and said, “Very good, Gloo. When I have accomplished all that I have long planned for, you can have your freedom.”
“Thank you, my lady.” Gloo paused for a moment and then added, “And everyone else?” Gloo quickly bowed his head. The ice-witch, ignoring Gloo, held out her hand and a thick fog formed on it. This fog was different from the fog used by Gloo. It was silvery, like the brightest moon you had ever seen and it slowly swirled in her hand. As the fog turned, it
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