Á Íslandi 23

The prompts, we were given for Wednesday 16 were:

Enchanted
Lavish
Scurrying
Bouquet
Smash
Anyway

      And/or

Champagne
Caviar
Candlelight
Heartshaped
Flee
Excitement

I have still many words for this continuing story. And if you enjoy reading it only half as much as I enjoy writing it, I will continue till I run out of words. This seems to be a long time yet, as I used NO words for this instalment. 

Finnbogi, Marit, Monica and Knud went through the portal to get Walther. Monica had brewed a sleeping draught and all were armed with the best hexes and counter-spells they could get.
The rest of them waited in apprehension.

Susan sat next to Ella, and they told one another of their life, Susan told of her children, they both told of their work and Susan recounted how she found her magic again and what had happened since. Suddenly Susan remembered what Sandra has said and asked Ella: "Do you know a woman called Klara Weber?"
"Klara?" Ella said, "Yes I do. She is a librarian in Schiltach: Why do you ask?"
Because she's Aamu. Do you remember her from the Farm?"
"Yes I remember her. She was Finnish, very quiet, one of the smart ones who listened more than she spoke, and then she was one of the red ones."
"In the beginning she was more Lis' friend than mine," Susan said, "but we studied wandsinging together, and I got to know her quite well. She was a fabulous friend in need.  Did Walther know her do you think?"
"No, I don't think so. He was not much of a reader. Now, thinking back, I can see that he befriended only people, he could use in one way or another. I really feel like I just woke from a nightmare."

The children began seeping down into the hall for the final cake and a cup of tea or glass of juice before the Mál sameinast was cancelled at the end of the day.
Rasmus sat with his two girls at a table near the entrance and listened patiently to Roseanne's recounting of a computer duel between herself and Little Susan, while still having half an eye on the door to the portal room.  Finally they returned, Monica and Knud almost dragging a befuddled Walther between them. Mary raised her head and looked at Walther: "Papa," she said, "That man needs his head tickled too, and phew, he stinks. Has he been using Mum's yucky perfume, you think?"
"Finnbogi!" Rasmus called."Come over here, please."
"Yes, just a sec," Finnbogi replied and soon came over to them.
"Mary," Rasmus said, "Can you please tell Finnbogi what you said about Walther?"
"Walther?"
"That sleepy man Monica and Knud helped to bed just before."
"Oh yes," Mary said, wrinkling her tiny nose. "He stunk. Just like Mum did. She said it was her perfume which I did not like. But why did that man go and use Mum's perfume. And he need to have his brain tickled too. He's like me and Roseanne inside now, No not like ... more like another itch. I can't say. He needs tickling."
"Mary, how old are you?" Finnbogi asked.
"Almost six," she answered, "I'm a big girl."
"Yes you are," Finnbogi replied. "Can you tell me a bit more about your mum's perfume?"
"Sometimes ..." Mary said. "Sometimes mostly when Mum was in the kitchen, I did not like her smell. I told her, and she said it was her perfume, that small girls did not like that perfume. But Roseanne never could smell anything. Mum kept on putting on the smell even if I did not like it. And she used it more and more often. Then we caught the flu. Mum's perfume bothered me very much. But after she gave us the pink medicine, I could not smell it any more. But now I can smell it again. Can you tell why the sleepy man had put on Mum's perfume?"
"Mary, you know you're a witch, like your Mum and Papa and Roseanne, don't you?" Finnbogi asked.
"Yes. Like in the movies," Mary said, "I want to have a big cauldron, and a broomstick and a hat and a wand. But I don't want to have warts and straggly hair and be old and fat. I don't want a toad either."
Finnbogi laughed. "Sorry. I'm not laughing at you. But at something Susan told me, you know she said almost the same thing when she was told she was a witch."
Mary smiled. "She's a nice witch. She has no warts or a crooked nose. But she's afraid of broomsticks!"
Finnbogi laughed again: "Did you hear what Knud told us today, That some witches and wizards are better at one thing than another. Susan is not good at flying, she will say so herself if you ask her. But she's fantastic if you want to call an animal. I have seen her call a cow in the middle of a town. And it came, quickly. My special ability is to smell good or evil, nice people and bad people. And it seems that you can do this too. The perfume as you call it is not a thing from a bottle. You can sort of smell Walther's bad thoughts about us, who brought him here. Hang on a bit. I want to play a game with you." Finnbogi rose and returned with a bundle of wands and Susan, Rósa and Knud.
"Close your eyes," Finnbogi said, "place your hand here, over this wand and tell me if you can guess to whom it belongs. It's our wands, and then some we have borrowed."
"Easy." Mary said. "This is Susan's wand."
"Yes," Susan said. "It's mine."
"And this one?"
"Yours!"
"Fine! This one?"
"Someone. A lady I don't know."
"And this"
"Rósa's wand."
"Yes it is!" Rósa said
"And this one?" Finnbogi asked.
"That's not a wand at all, just an old branch!" Mary said.
"That was a test, or maybe just to tease you a bit" Finnbogi said, "and it's perfectly true. I just cut it from a tree outside the door. What about this one?"
"Someone else and Mum!" Mary answered at once.
"Yes, And then this one." Finnbogi placed a new wand under Mary's hand.
She sat quiet for a little while. "This one ... I think it belongs to Knud."
"Perfectly true," Knud said. "It is my wand."
"And this last one?" Finnbogi said.
Mary took her hand away from the wand and said: "This one belongs to a lady I don't know. But sleepy man has used it. It stinks! A lot!"
"Thank you, Mary! You can open your eyes again. He turned to Roseanne, who had sat quietly, looking at what happened.
"Roseanne, Can you do this at all?" Finnbogi asked.
"I don't know," Roseanne answered.
Finnbogi looked at her and smiled: "You have been looking, Now try it out." He waited til Roseanne had closed her eyes shut, then placed his own wand at the table and guided Roseanne's hand to it.
"It's a wand!" Roseanne said. "It feels alive. But I don't know how to tell if it's Susan's or yours or what."
"Try this one then."
"Another wand, or maybe the same. I can feel the magic, but no persons."
"That is perfectly normal," Finnbogi said, "now try this one." He placed the branch at the table.
"That's so not a wand, that's the branch," Roseanne said in disdain. "You're teasing me as well."
"Guilty!" Finnbogi said. "No doubt you're a witch too, but we already knew that. All of us do know a wand from a branch, and a spell from a comics strip with our eyes closed. You have yet to discover your special kind of magic."
He turned to Mary again: "Mary, I'll tell you more of your magic tomorrow. Now everybody's here and just waiting for Knud to end the day."
Knud took his wand from the table and rose: "Dear friends," he said. "Today has been a long and exciting day. We still have many questions without answers - and some answers without questions. The only thing I can say is to repeat what a wise, old king once said: Tomorrow is a brand new day." He raised his wand: "And with these words, I bid you all good night. Mál skiljast hver frá öðrum!" he said swishing the wand.

... to be continued