"And now we clean and brew!" Ella's Grandma commanded. Ella and Teiko cleaned the
cauldron, careful not to touch the last drops in it. The other Lion
dancers meticulously cleaned their tools, while Susan once again grated
large amounts of the purple root. Granny gave Cooper another piece of
wood for his grater, if possible even harder, but this time grey. "Wood
from the Petrified forest. It's very hard indeed, drummer boy," she said
with a loving smile and a pat on his head. Liam was given another
batch of crystals, grey and green for his mortar and pestle. And she
handed Teiko and Kensuke something that looked like a snake's or a
shark's skin, but Granny said it was from a small dragon.
The
distant howls got closer and closer all the time, urging them to work
with speed and care. But as Granny once again stirred the cauldron,
adding the shredded, grated or pulverized ingredients, the threatening
howls of hunting, hungry wolves turned into the yelping sounds of hurt
animals. And then it sounded as if all hell broke loose over the tiny
hut. Snarls, roars, yelps, hooting and crashing, flailing falling,
terrifying sounds resounded in the clearing in front of the house. Susan
jumped to the window, and tried to peek through the shutters, but they
were a perfect fit, not a single crack to see through. Ella and Liam was
beside her, but Granny came over and gently steered them away from the
window. "Dear children, you have done what can be done, trust the little
one and the magic of my cauldron." They gathered around the fireplace.
"The
second draught is ready," Granny said, "When all is quiet, we'll use it
on Gargoyle and weres alike." She turned to Susan and looked her in the
eyes: "That book is a treasure beyond compare. Could you let me have it
for a while. I'll send it back, or even better yet send Ella and the
Mountaineers up to you with the book when I'm done writing a copy for
myself."
Susan looked at Granny, drew a deep breath and answered:
"Yes, you can. My wizarding school is still establishing itself, we can
wait. And a visit from the Lion dancers would be a treat in my part of
the world."
The sounds died off, not gradually, but as if cut by
a giant knife, only a soft whimpering could be heard. And then a
scratching at the door. Susan ran to the door, but she could not open
it. "Careful my child, Granny said,. " Your heart is big, but the world
is a dangerous place." She touched her giant spoon to the door - her
wand Susan realized - and a small round hole, like a knot, opened.
Granny put an eye to the hole, and looked out. "Yes. It's Cerina!" She
announced, smiling from ear to ear and opened the door.
Cerina the
gargoyle came through the door. She was wounded and had shrunk again,
but she looked defiant and triumphant. "I did it," she said in a small
voice. "All the werewolves are mortally wounded. You can dose them without danger."
"Susan, you take care of Cerina, all the rest of
you come here. Susan picked up the tiny gargoyle, and asked her what
she needed.
"Wash me in pure water first, and then dip me in the
cauldron." The potion in it removes almost all the magic from me again, I
will become a normal gargoyle for a long time again. But I have my
reward. One of the Weres had been attacked by one like me. He - the
other gargoyle - is at the red, white and blue hotel next to the one you
stay in."
"Do you want to stay here?" Susan asked, feeling a chill to her heart.
"Yes, gentle girl. "It would make me most happy not to be alone, to be able to
defend this small town when the werewolves gathers again and maybe even
rise a family."
What do I have to do, my pretty one?" Susan asked.
"Dunk me in the cauldron, and let me fly away before the potion takes full effect. We'll meet again."
Susan
did as the gargoyle had told her, and while she carried the little one
to the door, she noticed the colours on wings and chest became more
muted, grey green and stone- like. Crying she held the gargoyle up to her
face on both palms, kissed the stone grey snout and whispered: "Thank
you Celina, live long and prosper." The Gargoyle wept with Susan, two
grey, round tears fell as marbles. "Keep my tears, they will be of help
to you one day, Cerina said, and flew away, Susan stood as rooted, until her lithe silhouette was swallowed in the distance.
What joy and heartbreak, like so much of life.
SvarSlet