by Donna Kunkel
“Sign in please.”
Steve signed below Vale and the gate opened. They stepped through.
Vale swept his arm across the area. “Welcome to Aspen Glen.”
Steve looked around at the gray stone buildings located in a flat valley, surrounded by hills and then on up into the mountains.
Vale headed down the path that angled to the right. “This large building on the left is the cafeteria and the first one on the right is the men’s dormitory. Once Ms. Apple deems it safe, you will move into a room there with three others, or I would suggest you take one of the empty rooms so you can lock the door. Do you have any electronics in your bags?”
“Only a couple of flash drives that Alex suggested I would need.”
“Anything on them?”
“No.”
“They should be okay then.”
Vale pointed out the buildings as they walked past them. They walked past the regular school building, a barn on the right, as well as some greenhouses on the left. They headed to the right, down a covered walkway through a grove of firs.
Vale added, “We are headed to the magic school where the infirmary is. Ms. Apple, our nurse, will take you on a tour and go over more of the details. Right now, school is still in session so make sure you are back in the infirmary well before sunset; as soon as dinner is over would be better. Our math teacher has agreed to help you get familiar with the computers between ten to noon and three to five, until you get a handle on how to use them.”
They headed into another stone building and took the stairs up to the second floor. Vale deposited Steve’s bags on a far bed and said, “Welcome to Aspen Glen.” With this he turned and left.
A woman called out, “I’ll be with you in a moment.”
Steve set the rest of his bags down and sat on the bed. So this would be his home over the summer. Not too bad. He just hoped he could learn how to control his bear.
A woman walked out of the room in the back and held out her hand. “I have wonderful news. I’ve been talking with some of the other healers and potion masters, and I believe I have the perfect potion for you.”
Chapter 31
Alex looked around her apartment one more time to see if she’d packed everything she might want for the summer. She looked over everything again. She had several reams of paper, red pens, flash drives, and a bag of her books. Steve’s collection had some big gaps, no romances or steam-punk. She’d been wanting to read some steam-punk, but she’d never gotten a chance. The cabin would provide the perfect atmosphere.
On a more practical level, she packed some bug spray, several packs of sodas, chocolate bars, bags of chips, and some comfy clothes. She checked to make sure she had packed her engagement calendar. A lot of the days were already filled with the extra jobs she had to make sure got done. All the summer tasks had to be completed before the weather changed in the fall. This time she’d be able to drive out if she needed anything or ran out of necessities. She loaded the car and drove into the mountains. The drive was so much more enjoyable than when she’d come through in the snow. A cool breeze drifted in the cracked windows. She’d forgotten how much cooler the mountains were compared to Denver. At least she’d remembered to toss in a sweater.
Had Steve made any changes? Would the Houdini hen still be as friendly, or would it be in stalk and attack mode again? She’d picked up some balls and toys for Mandy as well as a fancy brush for Anna Belle. Anna Belle should be spending more time outside. She also got a brush for the unicorn. She didn’t know if he’d allow her to brush him down, but Steve had told her that he was really friendly now. It would be enjoyable wandering through the thick firs and smelling the wildflowers. This time she’d make sure she always carried her wand. She didn’t want to meet any mountain lions or skunks unarmed. With the wand she’d be able to discourage any wild animals that became too interested, or else she might have to shoot them. That might be what the rest of the residents would do, but she at least had another option.
She checked in with Peter then headed back to the cabin. Mandy almost knocked her over when she opened the door. “It’s good to see you, girl,” she said to the happy dog. Alex let Mandy run between the car and cabin as she unloaded everything. It took more trips than she’d expected with all the items she’d brought. After unloading the car, she opened all the cabin windows while she unpacked and settled in. By now it was time to get the evening chores finished so she could turn in early. She opened the door to the barn and Anna Belle lifted her head. Anna Belle immediately headed for her. Alex said, “I’m glad to see you too. I bet you’re really going to miss Steve. At least I’ll be here with you. But I guess you’re used to being the only cow.” Tonight, she took the time to do the simple chores without magic. It felt good to use her muscles again.
Mandy woke her up the next morning by trying to lick her face.
“Okay, okay, I’m awake,” Alex said. “I guess you want me to get going.” She ruffled Mandy’s ears and slipped on some clothes. Alex walked into the barn and looked around. She missed seeing Steve here. He was a part of this life, a life she wanted to become a part of too. Alex had said good morning to Anna Belle when the Houdini hen popped onto her shoulder. Alex lifted the bird onto a bale of hay. “Let me look at you.” The hen stood there, head extended upward, as if posing. “I see your feathers finally decided to lie down again.” The hen clucked and reappeared back on Alex’s shoulder. Alex turned her head toward the hen, “Just do not do that if someone else is around. Do you hear me?”
The hen shifted and placed a foot on Alex’s exposed shoulder. That’s when a faint voice whispered in her mind, “I won’t.”
Alex put the bird back down on the bale. “Did you do that?” She pointed a finger at the bird.
The bird vanished and popped back on her shoulder. “I have to be closer, you dolt. Didn’t anyone ever explain familiars to you? Didn’t you learn anything? And what’s up with not using your magic this winter? What kind of stupid wizard are you?” the voice said in her head. “And that bit with my feathers…I don’t know if I want to forgive you for that.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I never meant to have that happen.”
“I should say. It was downright rude of you. The other hens made my life unbearable. I was the laughing stock of the coop.”
“Wait a minute.” Alex paused. “Me make your life miserable? What about all that stalking and attacking you did? You almost made it impossible for me to collect the eggs. And why didn’t you make yourself known to me then? Why wait until now?”
The hen shifted her feet a couple of times. “I wanted to see if you were worthy.” She stomped a foot. “Don’t you know anything about familiars?”
“Not really…you see I’ve never had one before. But why didn’t you let me know before I left? What if I didn’t come back?”
The hen shuffled her feet then settled down. “You did leave, and I didn’t know if you would come back. At least not until I saw you falling in love with the bear.”
“You knew about him all along?”
“Of course I did, all the animals did. We can sense another animal. We aren’t stupid you know.” The hen ruffled her feathers then settled down again.
“Okay, but if you’re going to be my familiar then we have to get a few things settled. You can’t peck me anymore. And you have to act like a normal chicken whenever another nonmagical person is around. That especially means no popping up wherever you want.”
“I’ll agree as long as you agree to a couple things for me. You can’t leave me; if you leave, then I go with you. And you’ll never ever put me in a cage.”
“When you say leave, you don’t mean for a couple of hours to visit someone or go to work or shopping?”
“No, I mean long term.”
“The cage thing…how can you live in an apartment without making a complete mess?”
The hen squeezed Alex’s shoulder with her foot. “I’m not stupid, you know. I can use kitty litte
r, but I prefer to use the toilet. It’s a lot neater. I don’t like all those granules sticking to my feet. It’s uncomfortable.”
“Okay,” Alex said, “but we have to tell Steve. I don’t want him to accuse me of stealing one of his chickens.”
“Deal,” the hen answered. “I need a name. You can’t keep calling me demon hen or Houdini hen.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good, now get your wand out, and get your chores done.”
The hen sat on Alex’s shoulder and watched her do all the chores. When Alex milked Anna Belle, the hen leaned forward to see what was going on. Alex filled the bucket with corn to feed the hens.
“Popcorn, make it popcorn. It tastes so good.” The hen’s head bobbed up and down.
“Okay, popcorn it is.” Alex entered the henhouse and the hen jumped down to the floor. While the hen paced near her feet, the other hens hopped down and edged in closer. Alex pulled out her wand and turned the corn into popcorn. She dumped the fluffy kernels and collected the eggs. When Alex left, the hen stayed to eat.
Alex went back in the cabin and fixed breakfast. She’d only been reading for a half hour when Mandy started to bark. Alex looked out the front window and spotted Caroline riding her bike up the road. Mandy pawed at the door and they both went out to meet her. Caroline was breathless when she reached the porch.
“I wanted to come sooner, but Mom wouldn’t let me,” Caroline said. “I wanted to visit with you and see the animals, if that’s okay.”
“Sure, come on in. I let Anna Belle out in her pen, but if we head into the barn, I bet she’ll come back in.”
Caroline bounced up the steps and hugged Mandy. “One of these days I’m going to talk my parents into letting me get a pet. I’d like someone I could talk to. Tommy’s a boy, he doesn’t want to hang with a girl any more than he has to.”
“I know what you mean, my younger brother and I were like that too.” Alex showed Caroline into the cabin.
“Wow, he sure doesn’t have much, does he?” Caroline scanned the room. “How can you spend the whole summer here?”
“I like it. It’s more comfortable than it seems.” Alex showed Caroline to the barn door. “Let’s go see Anna Belle.”
They entered the barn and Alex called Anna Belle. The cow came back in and wandered up to Alex.
“You mean he just lets the cow walk around?”
“Sure.” Alex stroked the cow’s neck. “She’s part of the family.” Anna Belle leaned against her.
Caroline reached out tentatively and touched the cow’s neck. When Anna Belle didn’t move, Caroline slid her hand down. “I’ve never petted a cow before.”
“Haven’t you ever come here before?”
“Nah, Mom won’t let me. Somethin’ about being alone with a single man. I’ve only stopped by with Mom to pick up eggs.” She continued to pet the cow.
“Well, while I’m here, you can come visit occasionally. But call me before you come, so I can be sure you get here safely.”
“That’d be great, I could play with Mandy.”
“Do you want to see one of the hens?”
“Ooooh, could I?”
“Wait here a minute and I’ll go get one.”
Caroline nodded.
Alex went into the henhouse and looked at the Houdini hen. “You need to behave. There’s a little girl here who wants to see a hen. She’s never seen one before, so be nice, no pecking.” Alex held out her arm and the hen jumped on.
The hen shuffled her feet. “I’ve never seen a little girl before.”
“Be good,” Alex whispered as she headed back into the barn.
“Can I pet her?” Caroline asked.
“Just be sure to pet her down her feathers. They don’t like having their feathers ruffled up.”
The hen squeezed its feet. “You bet your sweet booty.”
“Wow,” Caroline said. “This is so much fun. When can I come again?” Caroline continued to pet the hen.
“Why don’t you come back in three days. I have a lot of work to catch up on.”
“Okay. Oh…I’m supposed to pick up a dozen eggs while I’m here. Usually we get them from Mr. Robertson, but since I’m here, Mom said to ask.”
“Do you have a way of getting them home?”
“Yeah, I rigged up my basket so they won’t break.” Caroline looked at the hen intently. “You look like a Ginny to me. Like in the book.” She looked up to Alex. “Is it okay if I name her?”
“I like Ginny,” the hen said to Alex.
“Ginny she is,” Alex said. “Let me put her back then I’ll get the eggs for you.” Alex put the hen back and could swear Ginny was primping. Caroline left and Alex sat down with her book. One day off to read, then she’d get back to reviewing the manuscripts. After an hour, the hen, Ginny, popped into the cabin and settled down at Alex’s feet next to Mandy. Alex muttered, “Of all animals, my familiar is a chicken.”
Chapter 32
By using magic, it was a lot easier to get the chores done, even with Ginny sitting on her shoulder. Alex was able to get a lot of work done during the day without any distractions. She’d play with Mandy after breakfast and at lunch to give herself a break. When she finished the late afternoon chores, she’d go over to Peter’s. She’d use the Internet, they’d eat dinner, watch some TV, and she’d return. She borrowed Peter’s ATV so she could get hay and oats out to the unicorn. Her excuse had been that she wanted to explore the valley.
By the second week, she’d caught up on all her work. She’d finished ahead of schedule. It was time to celebrate. She started a small fire and pulled out three candles from the storage room, then fixed herself a juicy steak, potato, and salad. The light had already gone behind the mountains by the time she finished. She poured a glass of wine and sat down at the candlelit table so she could see the fire. But it wasn’t the same.
She missed seeing Steve sprawled out in his favorite chair reading with Mandy at his feet, especially his smiling face from across the table.
She went to take another drink to find the glass empty. She refilled the glass. There wasn’t anything she could do until he got back in September. Worrying about it now wouldn’t help. She sighed, then lifted her glass. “To getting done early and best of luck to Steve.”
Mandy’s tail thumped on the wooden planks.
Alex reached down to ruffle the dog’s head. “I know. You want me to hurry up and eat so you can have some fat scraps.”
Mandy’s tail thumped faster.
Alex cut off a small bite from the outer edge and handed it to Mandy. She was glad she’d stayed home tonight to get finished. Tomorrow she’d have to go over to Peter’s earlier so she would have enough time to get all her e-mail done. She’d avoided it for the last few days so she could concentrate on work.
Now she’d have a week to explore the valley some more. She needed to deliver eggs to the neighbors, and maybe see if she could collect a few crystals. She couldn’t use as much power as she’d done in the spring. She couldn’t risk not functioning for several days. There were animals who depended on her. Who would have thought she’d ever be the sole support for others? Not her. Maybe she was ready to settle down. One bright point in her week was when Steve would call on Saturdays, but he kept the calls short.
The third week she was there, Principal Vale arranged to bring some of the teachers out to collect the eggs. They pulled up late one morning in two four-wheel-drive trucks, one towing a three-horse trailer. Alex recognized the teachers: Mr. Richardson, Transfiguration; Mr. Norman, Charms; and Mr. Sheppard, Animal Husbandry. They all got out and shook hands.
Vale asked, “Any problems?”
“No. I take him hay and oats each week and go see him every couple of days to make sure he’s okay. He’s always glad to see me. After I give him food, I brush him down. He seems to really enjoy it,” Alex told them.
Sheppard said, “He actually lets you brush him down. Our group at school won’t let me. I’m amazed.
”
Alex nodded.
“I will do a couple of spells so everyone will take a nap so we can work without being seen,” Vale said. He, Richardson, and Norman pulled their wands out and chanted some type of spell. The whole valley went silent. Not a single bird chirped or bug buzzed.
“What’d you do?” Alex asked Vale.
“Anything that is not magical is sleeping. They will stay asleep until we counter the spell,” Vale said. “We should get moving.”
Alex and the others climbed in the trucks. She headed them over to the path that led to the cave. They parked at the edge of the trees and walked in. The unicorn was waiting, as usual, at the crevice’s mouth. Sheppard let out a quiet whistle. “What a beautiful creature.”
Vale nudged him, and the three teachers and Vale approached him. They all bowed. The unicorn approached each one in turn, sniffed him then went on to the next. Once he’d finished his inspection, he pawed the ground and nodded his head. They rose and the unicorn approached Alex. He shoved her with his shoulder then pranced around in a circle, kicking up his heels and shaking his head.
“I told you he liked me,” she said. She touched his shoulder to get his attention.
He turned his head toward her.
“We’ve come to move the eggs to a safer location.”
He nodded and pawed the ground.
“They wanted me to ask you if you wanted to go with them so you could stay with the eggs. They’re taking them to the wizarding school. It’s a really safe spot. We talked about this. Do you want to go?” Alex asked the unicorn.
He nodded his head several times, nudged her in the chest, and nodded his head again.
“I won’t be going, but I could visit if you want me to. Steve will be there for a couple of months. And there are other unicorns there,” Alex told him.
“Some really good-looking females,” Sheppard added.
The unicorn nodded, turned, and pranced into the crevice. They all followed him, using his light to illuminate the passage. When they entered the chamber, the unicorn stepped over to the side so the others could approach the eggs. Alex lit the lantern and helped Vale brush the dirt and leaves away to expose the eggs.
