The witches of corndale, p.29
The Witches of Corndale, page 29
"Come on, Betsy! Pick one and get over with!" said Vince. "We don't want to miss the lunch!"
She slowly picked her left hand, but hesitated, and put it down.
"Come on! Don't be a-" started the girl who stung by a fire ant earlier, but before she could finish her sentence, Betsy put her hand into her left pocket, and then quickly taken out. Everybody screamed at the scene of a small black scorpion positioned itself on her wrist with its curled tail standing high, ready to attack. Betsy looked at Evy and was ready to throw all the curses she knew, but instead an agonising cry filled her mouth. She was screaming worse than anybody, and tears were pouring down on her both cheeks.
"That must really hurt," whispered Vince to the boy next to him who got stung by a wasp and was still in agony.
Evy turned back to the walking path, and nobody dared to stay on it, but kept it clear. Even Betsy seemed to be pleased with her departure. After that incident, Evy never got any trouble again from Betsy's gang, and in the following days, a rumour about Betsy and her gang being attacked by wasps entertained almost everybody in the orphanage.
She could go on, and on countless strange incidents happening to her throughout her life and having a strange dream would in fact be something normal for her. So, for the rest of the day she had done the routine things she did every day; attended to the classes, did some reading, walked outside, and even watched a football game for a change. Still, her day felt like the longest day ever, and when finally it was bedtime, she got so excited she couldn't sleep as quickly as she hoped. After countless of turns in her bed, she finally fell into sleep, and a sweet voice greeted her immediately.
"Ale humr!"
It was another beautiful session with the woman in her dream, and Evy didn't notice how quickly time passed at all. When she woke up the next morning, she found her notebook on the small table next to her bed, and as she'd expected there were more notes written in Orcario. Was it real or a dream? She didn't care at all. For once, she had found something in her life that made her happy.
The nights followed the weeks, the weeks followed the months, and the months followed the years, and every morning Evy's notebook had more pages filled with new words, new information, and sometimes drawings all in Orcario, and the more she learned about it, the more she liked it.
As much as Evy loved each dream, and let the host do the talking, she was burning with a hungry desire to ask some questions of her own. One night, when she got the chance, she asked the question for the answer she sought the most:
"If you don't mind me asking Miss, who are you?”
The voice didn't respond. Was it too rude of her to ask something like this straight away? Given how long they have been meeting in her dreams, she thought it would have been a fair question.
"I am not sure if you are ready to hear that yet," the voice replied.
"Hear what?" asked Evy whispering, and a bit hesitant.
"Hear about me," said the voice with a hint of sadness. "But, don't worry, when the time is right, I will let you know all about myself."
"Okay!" said Evy slightly disappointed, "at least can I call you by a name? Like Ms something?"
There was a pause or maybe a little hesitation, and then the voice answered.
"You can call me Lara. That is my name."
"Lara," Evy repeated, "It is a beautiful name."
And that is how she met with Lara in her dreams. As much as she wished her day time activities had some fun like night time, it was getting harder for her to go through each day to make it to the night. Every morning, she was waking up to a lonely day in a world that she didn't belong to, and she didn't have any idea how long that was going to go on.
So, when she left the Orphanage, and got to this small cottage, it all changed for her. She had a company who didn’t belong to this world; someone was born outside of this planet, and not an ordinary person either. Quoting Earthwalkers she had "the jackpot", and her life suddenly got all the colours in the universe she could wish for.
Evy Jones moved her blanket away and brought herself into a sitting position. Her arms, legs, and joints were still in pain not only because of the fight, but also the cover-up she had to do during the night. She couldn't let the town people to see the carcass of the Orfergot, as well as the smashed trees all over the place, so she buried the remaining of Orfergot, and stacked the trees nicely as if they have been cut by purpose. She spread the snow over any trace of blood and burned anything she could in the stove. At some point it got so hot inside she had to leave the main door ajar to let some cool air to come in. By the time she got into the bed, the night was fading away, and as soon as she put her head on to the pillow, she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Still sitting on her bed, she didn't make any move to get out of it. Her mind was calm, and she needed to keep it calm to make a plan and rescue Lucy. At that moment she had only one name, Boren Deraskof, and once she found him, she could get to the woman who called herself the Lady. That was her plan, and she couldn't deny that she needed to improve it a lot. However, she wouldn’t be able to do it without some help.
To start with, she didn't have a clue where to find the inspector, and she was going to need someone who knew the way Earthwalkers lived a lot better than herself. When she thought about the number of Earthwalkers she knew, the list didn't go very long. In fact, it was only two names: Edgar and Joselyn Heart. One another name that could help her -not Earthwalker though- would be Harlan Oradquin, but she needed to think about it a bit further.
As she continued to analyse her plan in her head, a noise coming from the living room made her jump out of her bed. She hastily looked some kind of weapon to grab, but there was nothing other than a stick lying down next to her bed. That will perfectly do, she told herself, and walked as quietly as possible to the closed door. Were the attackers back? If only they dared, she wished.
She put her ear near the door and listened for any sound. Another loud noise, which Evy thought caused by a pot rolling around, filled the room next door. Evy, grabbing the stick hard with her shaking hands saw no other choice, but whispered the words, and within seconds she was her spell walker self again.
Next, without any hesitation, she opened the door and walked into the room; ready to launch a fierce attack to the intruder in the room, but to her surprise, the room looks as deserted as she’d left it the night before. Then, she heard another noise coming from a small storage cupboard in the corner of the kitchen where they usually kept the dry vegetables, and by the size of the cupboard, she knew it wasn't a person she was hunting, but perhaps a wild animal. She cautiously approached to the cupboard, and pulled its door slowly apart anticipating a vicious attack any second. When the door was fully open, she lowered her sword, and watched the animal inside with great curiosity since it was in no intention of a brutal attack, but busy with making the most of the dry food.
The creature sitting in the cupboard was something Evy saw first time in real life, but she knew what it was from the books she read before. It had golden feathers mixed with blue that sparkled under the sun and had a head like an eagle. The rest of its body, however, looked like a lion with muscular legs, and sharp claws. "A Griffin!" whispered Evy. Her eyes looked around to find out how she got there, and then she noticed the broken pieces of eggshells around. "The egg! It hatched!" she almost screamed. She recalled her remarks about the egg, and she wished Lucy knew that it wasn't a dragon after all. It could have been good news for her Evy thought, while at the same wondering whether a Griffin was any better than a dragon or not indeed.
"Okay!" said Evy Jones as if the Griffin was listening to her. "Seeing that you are having your breakfast, I can go ahead, and get mine ready, but before that, I need to change first. Don't go anywhere!" The Griffin tilted its small head whether because it was trying to crack a nut or it indeed responded to Evy she had no idea.
A few seconds later, Evy Jones entered back to the living room, and there were no signs of the grim expression on her face anymore. Somehow, she felt her mood improved a lot as if she had drunk a magical potion. She picked the eggshells, and the pot from the floor, and then moved into the kitchen to get her breakfast going.
Chapter 25
The same morning, in Colbert's shop, Edgar, and Joselyn were having hot freshly made coffee in the back kitchen, and none of them was eager to say any words. Both were yawning very often, and their eyes could hardly stay open. Edgar, standing opposite to the small kitchen window, enjoyed the warm feeling on his skin where a bright ray of sunlight was falling. He threw a look at Joselyn who had locked her eyes upon an old, and dusty painting hanging on the opposite wall. It pictured a round table; on which stood a fruit basket with an unusual kind of key beside it, and an old-looking book. He couldn't guess why the painting caught Joselyn's interest as he hardly noticed it on the wall, and never understood why Mr Colbert didn't get rid of it a long time ago. Seeing Joselyn had no intention to break the silence, he made a small coughing noise, and started to speak.
"Look, I know why I had to wake up early as I had to come and do this shift this morning, but you can go to sleep," said Edgar, and took a small sip from his coffee.
"Sleep?" asked Joselyn suddenly, fully awake, and alarmed. “How do you think I could sleep after last night? Didn't you hear the same scream I heard? And didn't you see the size of that creature?" She approached the painting and examined it a bit closer.
Edgar didn't answer. He was feeling slightly annoyed with her interest in to the painting as he still didn't see anything special about it. He took a few more sips, looking thoughtful, and then said:
"I don't give a damn about the creature; all I want to know if they are alright or not."
"Well, we saw the smoke rising from their chimney all morning. So, I guess they are alright," said Joselyn though she didn't sound completely confident, but more like she wished they were alright.
"And before you ask Ed, the answer is no, I am not going there again," she added quickly.
But she was wrong. After the previous night, Edgar would never put her life in danger again, and he could swear on anything that in one night he aged at least ten years. He couldn't remember if he got both worried and scared that much in any time in his life. When they finally arrived at home, the relief he had wouldn't be described by any words he knew, but then in the morning they had no idea what happened to the witches of Corndale, and the great happiness faded away slowly, leaving a thick cloud to fill his chest. As much as he hoped the White Witch, and Mara to be okay, he wouldn't be totally convinced until he saw them walking through the shop door.
"I still can't believe there is not any trace of the serpent or whatever it was on the Northern Hill,” said Edgar.
One of the first things they did in the morning was to look towards the Northern Hill hoping they could see the giant carcass, but it all was white, and there was hardly anything different than the previous day.
"How could a giant carcass disappear in one night? Even if you bring a hundred wolves, they wouldn't be able to strip it down to the bones." He asked, hoping Joselyn would contribute his thought process.
"I don't know. If you weren't with me, I would probably think it was all my imagination. No, a nightmare would fit better!" replied Joselyn. She took a damp cloth from the kitchen sink and started to remove the dust from the painting.
"You wouldn't be there if it wasn't my stupid idea," said Edgar with a regretful tone. He didn't think there was an easy way for him to forgive himself over putting her in danger.
"We already talked about it, Ed. One last time, forget it! I agreed, didn't I? Do you seriously think you could convince me to do something I don't want?" She was about to go ahead and tell him off again as her voice rising steadily, but the front door opened, and someone came into the shop. Usually nobody would come to the shop that early, but once Edgar wasn't going to complain about it. He took the opportunity and walked to the shop floor to greet the early customer, and when he turned into the first aisle, he almost run into Ruth Skinner. Ruth? He asked himself. What on Earth?
"Hi Ed!" said Ruth with a smile on her face.
"Good morning!" replied Edgar with a curious tone.
She certainly looked cheerful than her usual self, and Edgar was sure he was going to know about the reason behind all this happiness in a second. As much as she knew Ruth, she wouldn't want to keep it to herself, but to share. Although he had the least enthusiasm to find out about it remembering the last time she had been in the shop, he had no other option other than letting her to spill it out.
"You are…early today?" asked Edgar tentatively to let the conversation started.
"I know!" replied Ruth cheerfully, "I would usually be in my bed enjoying my morning in this early hour, but I need a few things to finish preparations for my guest before he arrives lunchtime."
With an eager expression on her face, she was waiting for the obvious question next. Edgar was tempted to leave the conversation there, and let her excitement drown, but the quicker he let her to speak about it, the sooner she was going to leave the shop.
"Your guest?" asked Edgar sounding curious, but in fact, his mind went back to wondering about Mara, and the White Witch.
"Falcone," answered Ruth, hardly losing any second to answer the question.
"Sean?" asked back Edgar taken by surprise, and suddenly interested in the conversation for real.
"Is there any other Falcone? Of course, it is Sean you, silly boy." chuckled Ruth.
Of course, Edgar knew that Sean Falcone was the only child of Falcones, but what he would want to ask was "Sean? The boy who asked my sister out a few months back?" He opened his mouth to respond but closed it without saying any other word. Perhaps it would be wise not to bring that out he told himself.
After a short pause, he said
"Oh, I don't think I have seen him since…" he wanted to say since the day he got turned down by Joselyn on that day in the market, but instead he continued with, "..since the last time I saw him in Cor'n'Ale. How is he doing anyway?"
"He is..fine.." answered Ruth. "He is different..I mean when you get to know him better you see a different side of him."
She wanted to say a bit more, but she looked hesitant. Edgar couldn't help, but noticed her cheeks changed into a little bit pinkish colour. She moved into a different subject in no time.
"Anyway, how are things with you? We didn't get to chance to catch up on things recently, but we should do it soon. Now the spring is on its way."
She was right, it was one of the warmest days they had in a very long time, and the sun indeed felt warm first time after a long winter. The steam was rising into the air from every roof in the town; the roads were soaked with melted snow, and in some parts it turned into mud already. Back at home, their mother was busy getting prepared for the spring, and were going around to collect empty jars from their neighbours and asking them for their orders for the summer.
"Sure, we can go for a walk or do something once the weather is alright," answered Edgar hoping by that time she would be going out with Sean Falcone, and he would be out of her life forever.
It wasn't like he didn't like her, but the friendship they had once now seemed to be in a different time zone, and place. Not far away, he used to talk to Ruth for hours, and enjoy every bit of the conversation, and feel very good about it. Now when he looked at her, he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable as he didn't want her to be sad, but at the same time, he wouldn't want to give her any false hope either. As opposed to the common belief, love didn't always make things better, but it could be as destructive if not in the right form, Edgar thought. He still didn't understand how Joselyn could be so relaxed and reckless when she dealt with boys.
"I'll look forward to it, Ed," said Ruth with her eyes fixed on him. Edgar nodded, and quickly turned his attention to the counter, pretending to organise a few things. Not long after, Ruth paid for her shopping, and gave her a warm goodbye.
As soon as the main door closed shut, Joselyn appeared at the kitchen door.
"Falcone and Skinner? Waoov, even I didn't see that coming."
The news seemed to cheer her up. "I told you not to give too many thoughts about others' feelings for you. It eventually dies away and find another host as if you have never existed."
"I still think a sensible approach would be more humane when turning down someone. Unless you are taking your revenge on others!" replied Edgar. The words came out of his mouth without thinking, and she didn't miss it.
"So, you reckon somebody broke my heart, and I am turning down everybody for a mass revenge?" she asked as she stood right in front of the counter, and Edgar didn't see any hint of warmness on her face. He couldn't help but think if Joselyn has ever resembled their mother that would be one of them, since the angry glare she had in her eyes right now was as same as their mothers.
" I don't know your reasons, and even if you have any I wouldn't be so willing to know them either," Edgar tried to explain calmly. "All I want to say is that having sympathy for another person is not such a bad thing. We are all human, after all."
He put his hand on to her hand, and with a softer voice continued. "I know you have a very good heart, and I find it hard to accept when people think you are a bad person because of the way you turn them down."
Joselyn lowered her eyes and said, "I just hate this town."
"Yes, I know I am not the greatest fan of Corndale either believe me," replied Edgar.
Joselyn freed her hand and started to tap the wooden counter between them. She didn't know how to say it softly, and she didn't even know why she wanted to share it with Edgar, but for some reason it looked like a right moment, and she couldn't miss it.
