Witches Moon - Kerry

Encounters

December 2014

“I hate snow.” Finnigan hisses from his cloth bag hanging from the broom. The sky around us was white with thick flakes of snow newly crystallizing. As we flew, the flakes stuck to Finnigan’s whiskers.

“It’s like taking a dry shower. It’s still water.” He grumbles.

I stay quiet. I’m anxious to get to a town. If my sense of direction is right, we are still miles away from the North coast of Hudson's Bay and the Island of Igloolik. But the weather is getting worse. I need to think about a place to stop.

“Perhaps we should set down around here and get warm… Kerry?” He notices my silence. The dream still bothers me. I don’t understand why I had the dream. When I think of it the sense of cold comes flooding back. A fire sounds nice.

“Kerry!?” Finnigan shouts. I look forward into a tree.

“AHHHhh!!” We scream as I yank the broom right. Going this fast is hard to maneuver through the trees hidden in the snow storm.

Right, left, left, right, left, right, left, left. Faster faster. The trees are getting closer together. I whack a branch and my broom goes right when I want it to go left. I hit another branch and lose control. We fly through snow covered branches, tumbling down.

“Oww, Aiee, Oww! Oooff!” I land hard, knocking the wind out of my lungs as I hit a thick lower branch. My broom tumbles passed me and lands in the snow below. I can see the ground eight feet below me.

Finnigan comes flying into view from above, dropping down on all fours into the snow with hardly a sound.

“Like I said. I hate snow. It’s like wearing a blindfold.” he grumbles.

I catch my breath and drop myself from the branch. My lower ribs hurt from the impact.

“Are you ok Finn? I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I could tell. Well, now that we’re here, let's find ourselves someplace dry…. And warm to wait this out.”

“Good Idea.”

We spend the next 40 minutes trudging around the snow covered forest looking for a suitable place to stay the night when we stumble across a dark cabin closed up for the winter. It’s not often you see a forest this dense this far North, but I guess there still are stands of the boreal forest up this way too.

I walk up to it, testing the handle or a lock. “I think I can open this with a spell. What do you propose Finn?”

He glares at me. “Yes. Do it. I can’t feel my paws.”

I smirk. Such a drama queen. “Ok, lets try.” I feel the for the Etheria. If I focus my thoughts I can see it, shifting swirling in a multi coloured hue of dust around me. To unlock the door I need to manipulate the space within the lock. I need to push the mechanism. I select the yellow cloud of Etheria and undulate my hands in a forward motion. I slip it through the keyhole and expand its volume. The lock clicks.

“We’re in!”

“It’s about time!” Finnigan dashes in before I can even put my foot over the threshold.

The cold air rushes in with us filling the space. I shut the door and look around. There is hardly any furniture inside, it must be an old hunting cabin. In the centre of the room lies a stone fireplace and an ancient looking wooden chair. There's even a small stack of dry old logs piled next to it.

“Perfect! It’s like they knew.” I immediately begin to light the fire, this time selecting the Etheria that is blue. This Etheria can ignite when the motion of the dust is increased. I use the yellow Etheria to assist in this action. Soon I have a small ball of flame that, to others appears out of thin air.

I set the fire on the logs and light the fire. Soon the space begins to warm.

I sit on the creaky wooden chair next to Finn, grooming himself by the fire. The flames of the fire dance in a slow pattern, different than any outdoor flame. I’m thankful for the enclosed space.

I soon find myself entranced by the flames, lost in thought. They bend together and flicker, the odd crackle of the wood breaking the silence. I blink and suddenly I feel a strange surge of heat envelope me. The cabin is on fire!

I stand up in a panic but I can’t find Finnigan anywhere. I race for the door but the handle won’t turn. I spin around and from within the flames I see a dark figure shrouded in a black mist. He is tall and has broad shoulders. The mist covers his head like a hood. He takes a step forward, toward me and I press myself against the door. Is that a grin I see on his face?

I hear a faint whisper.

….ri…...erri…..

“Kerry! Kerry!”

I blink again and I’m back in the chair, sweat slicking my hair to my face. My breathing is heavy. Finn’s in my lap staring at me with his green eyes.

“Kerry, are you ok?” I stare at him. The fire is still in the fireplace. The dark figure is gone.

“What just happened?” I ask, the confusion I feel very coherent in my voice.

“Well, let me see. You’ve been asleep for hours and then you just started screaming. What did you see this time?” Finn asks, settling comfortably in my lap.

“I don’t understand what's happening,” I start. I then tell him what I saw.

#Fantasy #Magic