Chapter 29 or Easter Holiday 9
In August the words for Wednesday were given to us by River at Drifting through Life. The words for Wednesday August 21 were:
1. peril
2. coral
3. sure
4. rocky
5. lampshades
6. furious immobility
And a photo of this path, River once walked.
These words and the photo brought me back to the Unicorn Farm.
This chapter will not make it into the book, if I ever come to publish it, as Susan cannot know most of what transpires here.
It continues the story from two tracks: both the one from back in March; chapter 28, (wherein Susan an Tue was back in Susan's home, persuading Persephone, the ghost to come back to the magician's cottage with them) and the more recent Easter holiday tale.
Persephone, the ghost from Susan's house, turned out to be an invaluable asset. As soon as she got accustomed to the fact that her best friend, Sandra - the mother of Tue, Heidi and Lis - was now a grown up lady with children of her own, she moved in at the Magician's cottage
When Susan met her in the Easter holidays she was amazed at her growth. Of course her outward form was the same as ever, but her mind, spirit or what ever you may call it had developed beyond that of a small, petulant girl. She had started visiting other houses, and after watching the twins' antics she found that she was great at teleporting. Being immaterial she had no problem with ending up inside tings. Only large mountains or wast masses of water made her dizzy and sent her back. She could also turn totally invisible at will, and if she took care not to touch anybody, she could stay unnoticed even in a room filed with people. She was sent spying on Torben now and then, and came back with disturbing reports of him and his Dutch friend's plannings.
One night Susan, Heidi, Tue and Lis were very late in getting home, They had explored the bed of Susan's rivulet, all the way from the Unicorn Farm to where it tumbled over the cliffs down to the beach below. It was only a trickle now, the winter's snow only a memory in the mild Easter winds, and in a month or so the stream would totally disappear, only to be revived during very violent summer thunderstorms and downpours.
Then they followed the rocky path along the cliff all the way to where it reached its highest point, marked by a small cairn. They then had to backtrack to get to he path leading to the Magician's Cottage.
Heidi and Tue even advocated continuing all the way to the bridge connecting their isle with the mainland, but Lis shot down the notion, stating that the only shop there open outside of the tourist season would surely be closed by the time they got there.
The children had expected a sounding off for being late for dinner, but nothing happened. Sandra served the dinner and Kai did the dishes afterwards as usual, but both of them seemed to be absent-minded Sandra put a load of broccoli on Heidi's plate, and when she complained, that she did indeed still not eat his vegetable, Sandra just scooped them back in the bowl without a word. Kai almost dropped at least four plates while cleaning them, and only his extraordinary nimbleness prevented any major catastrophes.
After dinner Sandra brewed a big pot of tea. When the doorbell rang, and Gilvi and Thora was shown to the garden, the children were sent off to bed.
Half an hour later Percy and Sandra sat around the garden table table with Gilvi, Thora, Taathi, Taavi, Jon and Birgitta. Lis and Tue were in their room, while Susan was bedded in Heidi's room. None of them slept.
All their tries at pleading, sneaking or listening in, had only resulted in Kai, the Magician-wizard and father of Tue, Heidi and Lis keeping guard in furious immobility on the landing outside their bedrooms.
The evening wore on. Luckily Percy was a ghost, and did not get tired from the questioning from all the professors and Sandra. One by one the professors fell silent, all questions asked. The night fell and the small band of humans and a ghost went inside.
"We're in dire peril," Sandra said as they gathered in the living room. "When, or dare I say if, Tristan is rolling out his plan, all of Denmark, Iceland, the Faeroe islands and possibly the rest of the Scandinavian countries will be under his inclement rule." In the beginning he will seem to be the benevolent dictator, but then, in steadily mounting degrees, people will begin to suffer. Not the magical community, but everybody else will be enslaved, persecuted, maybe killed in this crazy plan of his. And they wont' realize until it's too late, far too late."
"Are you sure?" Birgitta asked.
"Yes I'm sure." Sandra answered. "He'll write his propaganda flyers on highly suggestive paper, place billboards everywhere, likewise prepared. And his election will be certain.
Sandra reached up, into the coral lampshade. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked very quietly. Gilvi looked at the small black thing in her hand and nodded. Birgitta stretched out her hand, and Sandra dropped the microphone into it. Birgitta drew her wand, cast an intricate spell over it, and a smallish 3D Picture of Torben rose from it. "Him!" Sandra whispered, going pale. She gestured with her wand and it wrote in the air: "Pretend you do not believe what I said about Tristan!"
"Oy Sandra," Birgitta said, "I do not think you're right. Tristan is not a bad sort of guy. A bit brash, maybe, but you're making him out to be the very devil"
Taavi said: "He's a wizard, just like us. He might be more harsh, more determined. But maybe it is just what we need."
"I see, you do not believe me, Sandra said with a sigh. "let's stop this futile discussion and find our beds. It is late."
As Sandra saw her guests out, she once again had her wand write in the air. "We will have to go underground. You may or may not wish to follow, but we're a family, we're harder to protect."
I would like to see this expanded as a parallel tale.
SvarSletI was fascinated, and love the idea of writing words in the air to prevent eavesdroppers.
The things happening in this chapter, is what happened, but it won' be described in the book this way, as this is some things, Susan was told much, much later. Some of it will make it to the book, as some of it is essential for the understanding of things that happen later.
SletThank you, I loved writing aout it.
I like Percy, she sounds like a character that would be interesting to know more of. Writing in the air is a nice way to say what you want without being heard.
SvarSletHave a lovely day.
P.S., you're one of the winners of my blog anniversary giveaway. Let know which option you would like or if you prefer not to take up on the offer, than ignore this.
SletThank you! I'm happy for that. If you can do a sidebar badge ... something with owls and soap ... I would be very happy. And just maybe this badge would somehow find its way to my soap packages (small bags origami-folded from one sheet of paper) - that is if you have no objections.
SletAnd yesm, there will be more on Percy. I am just ... don't know ho w to describe it ... not writing so much rigth now. It is something with seasons, up and downs, recurring thongs. Not depression or some such. My live is just a circular structure, I will return to writing.
SletI'll be glad to make you a badge and you can use it however you like. Owls and soap, got that. I'll see what I can do. And I'll need an email later to send files.
SletHave a lovely day.
Forgot to ask - what text should I used in the badge or do you prefer no text?
SletOh, no text would be best ... Those strange, Danish letters :)
SletOkay, no text, no problem. I don't know your email and since you have not turned it on in your Blogger option, can you reply to this comment when you get a notice in your email that I've left a comment? That way I can send you files when I'm done.
SletHave a lovely day.
You make it so i can hardly wait for the book.
SvarSletThank you!
Slet