Birch Manor - 4 - Return to Unicorn Farm 3

The prompts are once again at Elephant's Child but are provided by Hilary Melton-Butcher.

This week's prompts are:
Paucity
Inglenook
Heft
Yew
Pergola
     and/or
Greed
Madness
Myth
Traveller
Visualise

     Next bit of the story. I promise more, but when? Only two word used - sorry about the cliff hangers.

Of course it did," Knud said. "You are a witch as well, even if you're a ghost. You have to obey the laws of magic."
"I'm a tired ghost," Percy said. "Everybody's getting old and dying, only not me."
"No, only not you," Susan said kindly, "well not getting old, at least ... the dying part ... well, you are a ghost after all."
"It's terrible," Percy said in a broken voice.  "Always, always just hanging around here. Watch people growing up ... getting children." She started crying harder, and once again twigs and leaves began raining down.
"Yes. I can see it's hard," Knud said, his voice soft and husky with compassion. "But can't you go on, I mean, ghosts are not supposed to hang around here for so long now, are they?"
Percy looked at him in astonishment and stopped crying. "No," she said. "Normally only greed or revenge keeps them ... us here. But I'm not greedy, and I had my revenge. I helped stop the Bad Man ..."
"We could not have done it without you," Susan said honestly.
"You were a big part of it!" Knud said simultaneously.
"I did ... I was .. I'm free to leave!" The look on Percy's face was one of genuine wonder.
In that same instance they heard a car stopping close to the trees.
"Quick, hide," Percy said, "I'll scare them off!"
Susan and Knud hid behind some trees, and they drew their wands and murmured the "do not notice me-spell".
Very shortly after they heard voices from direction road and sounds of feet shuffling trough long grass and last years' dry leaves The they heard Percy close to them. "I can see you .. and you know what ... It's them!"
"Them?" Susan whispered, "Who? ... No, it can't be true. I don't believe it. It's too much of a coincidence."
"No," Knud whispered as well. "It just can't be. Or maybe ... yes it can. I dare bet Sandra still have bouts of premonition. Let's stay hidden for just a short while and listen."

The travellers could be seen clearly now. An elderly tall, well groomed man with a pointy beard and an imposing moustache had an elderly lady by the arm. Two women tagged along, carrying baskets, blankets and a foldable chair. "Let's put all this down in the yard," one of the women said. Lis, Susan realised.
"Yes. It's about the only place left with level ground," the younger answered, and neither Susan nor Knud had any trouble recognising Heidi's voice.
"Mom,Tage said. "Why did you want to drag us out here today. We should have been at the cemetery, visiting father's grave, as it's his death anniversary today.
"No," Sandra said in a surprisingly strong and steady voice. "Here and now is the time and place for us to be. I can feel it in my bones."
"Do you mean to say that you still think you can foresee the future?"
"Yes and no. I can at best feel an inkling, like a dream, like cobwebs. But I've come to rely more and more on these premonitions. I think it makes them grow stronger."
"Oh, I wish we still had our magic," Heidi said. "It would be so good to ..."
"Shh!" Lis said: "Even the trees have ears. Or at least I'm afraid they have."
"You're still afraid after all this time?" Tage asked. "I'd give anything to have my wand back. I have come to remember more and more of how it was, how it used to be in the year since we last were here .."
"... I think it's something in the air here," Lis continued, and Heidi and Sandra looked at one another and rolled their eyes.
"I think we should join the party," Susan whispered to Knud and Percy. "Percy, please turn invisible and help us to not be seen until we've come somewhat away from the buildings. We can't just turn visible and possibly scare them."
They did as planned, and turned visible some way from the Farm. They then picked up their backpacks and walked along the road, leading to the Farm.
 
***

"Good day to you." Knud said sas they once again came into hailing distance. "Sorry to distur your lunch al fresco."
"Pleased to meet you," Tage answered, Can we help you?"
"We're looking for an old, burned down farm, but we cannot seem to find it," Knud said.
"It's because it's not here any more," Tage answered. Is has disappeared, gone back to nature if you like. You are actually standing in what once was the inner yard."
"But why are you looking for that old place?" Lis asked with suspicion oozing from every pore.
"Well I suspect for the same reason you're here," Susan answered innocently. "To relive those happy, golden years of youth."
""I think I know that voice," Heidi said. "Please tell, who are you?"
"I'm Susan Thorsen nee Olsen," Susan said, "and this is Knud Thorsen. Pleased to meet you!"
"Did you marry!" Heidi exclaimed. "I always thought you fancied Helge!"
Susan laughed out loud. "Oh no, I pitied him, I loved him, yes, but only as a sister loves her brother. He was in many ways the brother, I never had. And we know who you are: Heidi, Tue. Lis and Sandra even if you do not use those names any more."
"How did you know?" Lis asked, still suspicious.
"You were never alone, when visiting the farm." Lis turned white. "Oh, no it's not as you think, Susan hurriedly said. It's not David, Torben or even Tristan - they are all long dead - who watched you. It was Percy here."
Percy turned visible and Lis laughed, a nervous, thin laughter. "Are we all alone here, except for you and Percy," She asked.
Susan drew her wand, cast the human-discovering spell she had avoided those many years ago and slowly turned full circle. "Yes," she said. "Nobody nearer than the summerhouses on the other side of the trees."
"You have a wand" Heidi said.
"You can do magic!" Lis and Tage said as one.
"It was you, we came to meet. It all makes sense now," Sandra said looking terribly pleased with herself. "Please have a seat. We have no paucity of home made food, and we'd happily share food and tales with you."
"Yes, I have a wand. I can do magic, and what more is, I can sing wands, and awaken your magic. But first you have to tell me why you are so afraid." Susan said. "As I said earlier, I am positive that Torben and Tristan died many years ago. Their greed grew into madness, they tried to take over, not any longer the whole world, but Tristan's tropical holiday paradise. They were killed in a flooding there only a few years later. And David is dead too. There's no reason to be afraid any more."
"Oh yes there is," Lis said. "Gilvi told us that he suspected that Tristan's sister was the real mastermind behind all those plans. He could not stay for long, or tell us very much. Not because he would not, but because he did not know very much by then."
"Teresa!" Knud exclaimed. "Fiona told us about her."
"No, she was not called Teresa,"   Lis said. 
"I see you have reasons to be afraid." Knud said, "but let that rest for now. We'll have to meet up later all of us, and puzzle together all the small pieces of this riddle. But today, let's celebrate, let's awaken your magic, let's eat, drink and be merry."