Words for Wednesday 10. October -- Unicorn Farm 3

The prompts will be at Elephant's Child's this month but are provided by Margaret Adamson, and her friend Sue Fulton.  They may also include photographs taken by Margaret's friend  Bill Dodds.
This time I'm a bit late to the party, and once again I wrote a small chapter from my autobiography

Let the cat out of the bag 

and/or 

Best thing since sliced bread 
- I only used the first prompt.

"Let the cat out of the bag!" Heidi's father yelled. Susan was once again visiting Heidi and her wonderful, if unusual family on her way to school.
Heidi's father was a magician in both meanings of the word. He earned his living as a stage magician, pulling coins and flowers out of peoples' ears and hair. As he used to say: "People expect a magician to be fake, a bluff. Well I'm the real thing, and nobody will ever suspect me. It's the perfect cover." Heidi's mother, Sandra, was working as a supermarket cashier in the busy seasons, and were a stay at home mom the rest of the year. In the summer, when Heidi and her twin siblings, Tue and Carla, attended the wizarding school at The Unicorn Farm, she usually stayed at home and lend Kai a hand with his magic. The stage variety that is. Although Sandra was an accomplished witch in her own right, she was afraid of discovery. That's why she forbade Heidi and the twins any use of magic, except inside the house behind closed doors.
But now was the time. Susan had walked into a full blown family drama this Tuesday as she came over to tag along with Heidi and the twins. She almost left again, but Heidi called her over with a wave of her hand. Together they listened to Kai and Sandra. "It's time to show those demon-loving scoundrels that we're not afraid to fight them!" Kai said in a low, determined voice.
"But," Sandra said, almost as loudly, "haven't you learnt anything from history? We'll be persecuted, burned, hanged and quartered once again. Th non-magic society is not ready for the truth.."
"When will they ever be?" asked Kai in an exasperated tone. "But with a child dying every Thursday -- an innocent child, not having anything to do with magic at all -- we just got to intervene! The Police has no idea of magic monstres. No idea of where to look and what to do. They're still looking for a madman. We know the truth. We got to do something about it. We got to do something about that band of idiots or at the very least stop that Kelpie."
Sandra seemed to grow smaller. "Kai, even though I think you're over dramatizing you have a point. Those children ... My mind is reeling with implications. We are at a cross road in Time. What we do now will affect so much more than the life of a few non-magic children. But yes. Something has to be done. Not today though, the omens are bad. We must wait."
"Wait?" Kai yelled. But his voice had lost some of its force. "Always wait. Sandra, my dearest, when will be the rigt time?"
Sandra closed her eyes, her face went blank. Susan was afraid, she was going to faint, but a few heartbeats later, Sandra opened her eyes. Determined-looking she faced her husband: "Tomorrow is the time," she said. "And children," Sandra added, "I know you're out there, listening. Don't go and do something stupid. You are not prepared to meet black magicians, let alone a Kelpie at it's worst. Come back here after school tomorrow, bringing those willing to come and whom you trust unconditionally."


- - 💜 - - og så på dansk


"Så er det tid at smide maskerne!" råbte Heidis far. Susan var endnu en gang ovre hos Heidi og hendes vidunderlige, hvis usædvanlige familie på vej til skole.
     Heidis far var magiker i begge betydninger af ordet. Han tjente sit levebrød som magiker til fødselsdage og lignende arrangementer. Han trak mønter og blomster ud af folks ører og hår. Som han plejede at sige: "Folk forventer, at en tryllekunstner er det rene snyd og behændighed. Nå, jeg er så den ægte vare, og ingen vil nogensinde have mistanke om mig. Det er perfekt." Heidis mor, Sandra, arbejdede i et supermarked i de travle perioder, og var hjemmegående mor resten af året. Om sommeren, medens Heidi og hendes søskende, tvillingerne Tue og Carla, deltog i magiundervisningen på Enhjørningegården, blev hun normalt hjemme og gav Kai en hånd med magien. Scenemagien altså. Selv om Sandra selv var en habil heks, var hun bange for at blive afsløret. Derfor forbød hun også Heidi og tvillingerne at udøve nogen form for magi, undtagen inde i huset bag lukkede døre.
     Men nu var det nok. Susan var gået lige ind i et familiedrama for fuld udblæsning, da hun tirsdag morgen kom over for at følges med Heidi og tvillingerne. Hun gik næsten igen, men Heidi vinkede hende til sig. Sammen lyttede de til Kai og Sandra. "Det er på tide at vise de dæmoniske skurke, at vi ikke er bange for at kæmpe mod dem!" sagde Kai med en lavere, men stadig bestemt stemme.
     "Men," sagde Sandra næsten lige så højt: "Har du ikke lært noget af historien? Vi bliver forfulgt, brændt, hængt og parteret igen. Det ikke-magiske samfund er ikke klar til sandheden."
"Hvornår vil de nogensinde være det?" spurgte Kai i en fortvivlet tone. "Men med et barn der forsvinder hver torsdag - et uskyldigt barn, der ikke har noget at gøre med magi overhovedet - må vi bare gribe ind! Politiet har ingen kendskab til magiske monstre. Ingen anelse om hvor de skal lede og hvad de skal gøre De søger stadig efter en galning, vi kender sandheden. Vi skal gøre noget ved det. Vi skal gøre noget ved den gruppe galninge, eller i det mindste stoppe Nøkken."
     Sandra syntes at blive mindre. "Kai, selvom jeg tror du overdramatiserer, har du fat i den lange ende. Børnene ... Jeg bliver helt ør af alle de ting, der kan ske, vil ske eller måske ikke sker. Vi er på en korsvej i tiden. Hvad vi gør nu, vil påvirke så meget mere end nogle få ikke-magiske børns liv. Men ja. Noget skal der gøres. Men ikke i dag, varslerne er dårlige. Vi må vente. "
     "Vente?" Kai råbte stadig, men hans stemme havde mistet noget af sin styrke. "Vente, altid vente. Sandra, min kæreste, hvornår er det rigtige tidspunkt?"
     Sandra lukkede øjnene, hendes ansigt blev hvidt og udtryksløst. Susan var bange for at hun skulle besvime, men et par øjeblikke senere åbnede Sandra øjnene. Fattet vendte hun sig mod sin mand: "I morgen er det tid," sagde hun. "Og børn," tilføjede Sandra, "Jeg ved, i står derude, lytter. Gå ikke hen og gør noget dumt. I er ikke parate til at møde sorte magikere, endsige en Nøkke i dårligt lune. Kom tilbage her efter skole i morgen og bringe dem, der vil komme og som I stoler ubetinget på."