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muridgreenthumb-blog · 7 years

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Chapter 2

Meant to post this last week but I got busy and distracted >_>

Chapter 2

A Kind Witch…?

They boy struggled to breathe as he twisted and turned and ran and drowned in his dream. Angry colours at first and then twisted trees enveloped him, terror gripping his mind. He tried to run from the monsters who gave chase, but a great tidal wave rose up and swallowed him, leaving him in the suffocating dark…

~ ~ ~

His mind slowly awoke from its sleep, though his eyes remained closed. He tried to remember what woke him and images of his nightmare came back and his heart began to race. Trying to sit up set him into more of a frenzied panic as his body seemed locked into place, like he was paralysed. The dream, the nightmare he had had, once so vivid now seemed so lost, dissipating like steam in the wind while he tried to remember what the heck had happened. He cracked an eye open to get his bearings but snapped it shut almost immediately as the piercing morning light stabbed his eye.

Squinting his eyes open, the black shapes surrounding his vision turned into frost-bitten trees. A light fog hung in the air and grey clouds choked the sky. His senses became aware of a sizzling sound and the quiet plinking of strings pulled in a melody.

He tried stretching his head backward to look above and got a face full of pumpkin. That wasn’t what he had been expecting.

The sensation of not being able to move proved too great as panic started to rise inside him. He twisted and turned, a searing pain from his ribs ripping across his torso as he tried to find out what on earth was going on. He rolled onto his side in his struggle, an arm stuck down, the other across his chest, cheek in the dirt, facing the music - and froze.

~ ~ ~

The witch sat on her stool, looking at her surroundings with bleary eyes, breathing in the crisp, morning air. With ice shards lining everything like cream on a cake, the temperature was colder than an ice selkie's breath.

Ice selkies were like these adorable chinchillas that looked like their bodies had been stretched long and turned white. They were deadly because people would pick them up and suddenly freeze as its breath froze them from their adorable tiny mouths. There was an epidemic for a while before a doctor made a cure for the frozen and a vaccine for the untouched. Now people could keep them as pets.

Usually prepared for this type of weather, she had wrapped herself in her thick, baggy, woollen pyjamas, hand knitted by her. So of course there were holes, and so she also wore a dressing gown made from kangaroo fur and leather slippers with woollen insides. Her long, wild hair hung down her back and shoulders, keeping the edges of her face warm. She kept her stitched-up hat on her head for good measure.

Her arm was aching.

She had woken up two hours ago, and waited for the boy to wake up as well. She was supposed to be leaving today, and she couldn’t bring him with her. After a while of waiting, she grew tired and got out her violin, hoping that maybe the melody would wake him up with ease. Thirty seconds into her plan that wasn't working she grew frustrated. She dug the bow across the strings, causing a cacophony of squeaking and the pain in her arm to flare and yelled “Wake up!”

Nothing.

Well, she couldn’t really blame him, being half starved and half dead. At least he looked half dead. Again, she hoped he wasn’t dead.

Having bad experiences with people before, she felt the need to practice introducing herself. Not having much contact with the world at large left her feeling like she had missed out on learning social skills:

“Hello! Oh my goodness I sound like a little girl.”

“Hiya mate, I’m Murid! I... I’m a flippin’ captain of a pirate ship, wanna go across the seas? UGH.”

“Hello I’m Mughidgrenthumnb- Greenthumb, Greeeeeenthumb… I’m extremely glad you’re not conscious.”

“You’re alive right? …yep, you’re alive.”

“Hi I’m Murid and I really wish you’d wake up. I need to leave.”

“Hello poor and malnourished boy whom I saved from death last night, I’m Murid. Wake up.”

“I. Am. Murid. Greenthumb. How. Are. You? As you can see, I barely interact with any other sentient beings.”

“Hi I’m Murid who are you why are you homeless.”

“Hi I - oh my goodness what am I doing.”

She grew bored and self-conscious, so she decided to just get on with breakfast.

So she sat on her stool, watching over the last of her eggs and bacon with a little remorse. She had plenty of other food, but she had to steal this stuff - it's not like she had any pigs or chickens to make food from. Her violin lay across her legs as she played a quiet tune, plucking the strings and cradling her right arm.

Alright, what on earth am I gonna do with this boy when he wakes up? Murid pondered as she shifted in and out of thoughts. Well feed him obviously, but what after that? I don’t wanna try any introductions again, that went terribly and he wasn’t even conscious for that. He’s in pretty bad shape. I don’t know what kind of accommodation I can arrange for him; I can’t arrange anything. They’d probably execute him if they knew he’d been with a witch… I hope Thatcha’s ok.

She shifted her gaze to her wagon, covered entirely in vines and leaves of a pumpkin plant. The boy was lying near one of the pumpkins. Well, it’s not like I don’t have plenty of space…no, no, no, no, I don’t know this boy and for all I know he could be a witch hunter or something. A homeless one. Plus, he’s a human. And why on earth would he wanna stay with me? The only reason would be if he were really desperate. Or, he could just stay with me until I come across a suitable village, or even an orphanage! Then I can drop him off and be on my merry way! Alone.

Murid gave barely a pause to that last thought. She heard movement behind her but kept on strumming then stopped when she heard it a second time. She looked behind her thinking He must be moving in his sleep agai- oh!” she started. The boy was staring straight at her, twisted in his sleeping bag. Murid stared straight back at him, her heart rate rising with the colour in her cheeks. Trying to keep calm, she had to remind herself that there was no way at all that this boy could harm her. He was sick and his bones, while mended, would still be painful, there was no way he could harm her. He was just a simple, injured human. He couldn’t hurt her.

He couldn’t hurt her.

“Uh, mo-morning!” Murid finally blurted, fumbling with her violin and words. She placed it down (the violin, not her words) and got up. She then proceeded to trip over her violin, stumble, almost knock over the pan on the fire and hit her violin, the thing pulling notes on its own accord, and finally toppled the stool over to its side. Murid got out of the entanglement and looked at the mess.

“That wasn’t really what I wanted my first impression t’be...” She muttered under her breath. The boy continued to stare at the strange girl as she straightened her violin and up righted the stool and pan. He didn’t dare move, even as she walked over to him (who was trying to act like nothing had happened).

“Hello! I – ugh… are you alright? ‘Cuz you look kind’v… caught up in that.” She pointed out, keeping at a safe distance. He paused when she said this, taking a look down at himself, then tried to pull his arms out. Murid let the show continue for a while but was getting frustrated just by watching him; she crouched on the balls of her feet and reached out with caution but he jerked away from her hands, making her jump. Murid looked at him and recoiled back slowly, a resentful expression on her face.

“I’ll, um – I’ve got your breakfast cooking. I’ll just, go get it.” Murid muttered. Her voice lilted with a strange accent, with her 'r's relaxed and her 'a's and 'ou's drawn out. Her “i’s” sounded she was saying “i-ye” or “oi”. And she seemed to mistake sentences for one big long word, joining two to three words at a time into one. The boy finally got his arms out despite the fiery pain stabbing into his side, and shuffled back against the pumpkin behind him.

He stared at this creature as she made her way around the camp fire, quiet terror gripping him. He had seen her face, the colour of this girl’s skin and hair, the iconic style of that pointy hat – she was a witch.

Witches were vile. They were evil, they were wicked, they were awful, and deemed justly so because of their use of Black Magic… whatever that was. Ok, so he didn’t know what was so bad about Black Magic or what magic even was, but still, people talked about it with enough distaste for him to know it was a Bad Thing. Being a witch meant that you lived in exile, banished to the wilderness, and you were to follow those rules unless you wanted to hang. He had come across the carcass of a burnt down house in town once. Apparently, the couple had come into a close encounter with a witch from the outside as they were travelling back to their home town. Simply for that, the witch had burned their house down. Witches were bad, bad, bad, bad. Even so, he had to admit… this one was prettier than what he had imagined them being.

Coming over with full hands, cutlery rattling, the witch laid a plate of food in front of him. A clay mug followed next, full of steaming tea. He noticed that she kept her right arm in a crooked position.

“Ugh… food,” she pointed at the plate then hurried away. The boy looked at the breakfast as if it were a live octopus. It was bacon and eggs, and it smelled delicious, but he couldn’t make sense of it; why was this witch giving him food? Why had she not killed him yet, or used him as a specimen to test Black Magic on like all those horror stories he had heard about? Who was she? Why was she acting like a… like an actual person?

He snapped his head up at the witch as she sat down in front of him, still keeping a distance between them. She winced when she put down her mug and plate, rubbing her right arm. Her eyes shifted up to him and he froze.

“…food,” she pointed again.

The boy looked at the steaming plate and then back at her. “Because you kinda look like you haven’t eaten fer a while…” He continued to stare at her. She sighed, putting down her fork.

“Alright, here’s the deal O silent one. We eat our breakfast, and if you don’t eat yours, I’m gonna have it, cuz I've been savin’ that beggs and acon. UGH eggs and bacon. And then I’m gonna bring you back inta town, and leave you there. How’s that sound?”

Murid waited for some kind of reply from him; when it didn’t come, she just shrugged and tucked into her breakfast. She looked like she was struggling to get the food on her fork, like she wasn’t used to her left hand. His eyes trailed up and he studied her face. She had laugh lines around her mouth, like she smiled a lot. Her eyebrows were low and determined, but her eyes had a more innocent nature, more trust in them. Looking at them he noticed something odd about the colour. The left one was a light, sea blue while the other was dark blue, not quite black but… duller.

She raised an eyebrow at his gaze and he switched to his plate. It occurred to him that he might anger the witch if he didn't eat her food. Thinking fast he grabbed the fork and played around with it, hoping he looked like he was about to take a bite at any moment.

Murid leaned forward slowly. “…y’do know what do with food right?” she whispered loudly. He flinched and looked at her.

“Y’know, you cut it up, then you put in ya mouth, and then you chew-” The boy squinted and started nodding along with her, as if to say “Oh haha, very funny”. Murid stopped and snorted, smiling at him, and the boy surprised himself by smiling back. Something changed in her face.

“I’m, Murid, by the way…” she introduced herself. “What’s your name?”

The boy paused, considering his options. Murid watched him quizzically as he grabbed a nearby stick and started scrawling in the dirt. Murid tilted her head around to read the shaky writing.

“…Todd, Wor…Worthington?” she repeated aloud. He nodded at her.

“Well. Hello! Todd.” She gave a tentative grin. He smiled back and took a nibble of the fried eggs. That small nibble awoke a hunger in him that had since been dormant for weeks. With all honesty, he did not care if this food was poisoned or not, it tasted good and he was hungry, end of story.

~ ~ ~

Murid doused the fire with a bucket of water before taking his and her plate. The witch paused, looking from the dirty plates to the freshly put-out fire.

“Darn it,” she whispered and clenched her fists. “Ah I’ll clean ‘em later…”

Todd felt, so good. But it was a painful kind of good; though his stomach had cried for food for weeks, finally giving it some made it realise it didn’t think it would get this far. Now it was trying to remember what to do. While he watched Murid move around her campsite, Todd thought, weighing his options and choices. She looked like she was packing up. He picked up his stick.

Murid came over to her… guest, fluffing a coat she got from the wagon. “Alright, I got you a coat so you won’t be so cold…” she quietened when she saw him looking up at her, his stick pointing down at the ground. More writing. It said, “what’s going to happen to me?”

“Oh…” was all Murid could mutter. Todd thought it was because she found the answer hard to say, but really she was just thinking ‘Is this an existential question or is he literally asking me what I’m going to do with him in the next hour or so? ‘Cuz I don’t know what happens when you die’. She decided it was the latter.

“Um, well, I was going to take you as far as the edge o’ town. Then leave… you there… y’know, like, like dropping you back home after a sleep ovah!” she gave a smile, but it was a forced one. She knew how cruel that sounded. Save a homeless guy’s life then leave him back in the situation that had gotten him into trouble before. His eyes stared into hers, wandering.

“Look… I’m sorry I can’t help you more, but I’ve done all that I can. I took you to the doc, almost got HIM in trouble, I saved your life and gave you a meal. And if I could, I’d seeya every day and cook you meals and help you to find some way of livin’ and get’ya off the street. But I’m a witch.” She crouched on her haunches. “I can’t DO anything. If they saw you with me – the rest of the humans – thay’d kill me AND you. Every moment you’re with me you’re in danger and it’s bad enough you’ve spent half a night with me. Green Skinna’s, y’know how they work?” Todd shook his head and Murid’s face fell. “Darn it I wish someone knew. But what I do know is, thay can track me, like I’ve got a scent or something. And that’s gonna rub off on you.” Murid paused. “Not, not that I’m saying I smell. I-I take, baths, quite regularly th-thank you, I don’t stink. I mean, mean that thay have devices, and thay know things I’ve been near if, if I linger-” Murid flailed her arms. “Look, it’s just too much, ok! I’m a danger t’you, and your a danger t’me… I’m sorry…” she shrugged with a grim look. He took a moment to take in what she was saying. He knew she couldn’t take him in – he didn’t even think she’d offer – but he was hoping for help of some kind. If he went back there and onto the street again, he’d…

His eyes pricked and his mouth contorted, biting away tears and he tried to hide his face. The witch’s eyes widened; ok she’d expected him to be upset, but she didn’t expect him to cry. Another bewildering thought slapped her - when did she get attached to him?!

“Oh, um, ugh, oh gosh don’t- don’t cry, please, uh… HERE WAIT-” she yelled and bounded off, flinging away the coat as she darted into her wagon again. Todd sniffed curiously; what could she possibly give him that would make this all better? It may have been his ears playing tricks, but he swore when Murid ran out of the wagon again she had sounded far away, as if down in a long corridor. She jumped down and crouched in front of him, a necklace with an orange crystal pendant dangling from her hand. She was holding it out to him.

…

Was she bribing him?

“This! Is a magic thing! It does magical stuff! Here, take it ‘n’ sell it off back in town. Take it to the lady with that weird eye, she’s nice and can appraise it for you for a good price. It’s worth a lot, trust me. Probably’d, rent you… food Idunnohere.” Without waiting for a reply she slipped it over his head, patted said head, and got back to packing. He clamped a hand over his head with a frown and looked down at the pendant.

‘What does it do?’ he thought.

“It gives you the ability t’read aloud your thoughts.” Murid replied over her shoulder.

‘Oh ok, well it would be worth a lot if itWAIT WHAT?!’

“Well, I’m assuming y’can’t talk ‘cuz you’re a mute?” Murid guessed, looking at him. Todd stared her. How could she hear him? How was he talking? He hadn’t spoken to anyone in years. No, no he couldn’t talk. This necklace didn’t do anything, she was just playing a trick.

‘She’s just trying to get rid of me with a trinket.’

“She’s just tryina get rid of me with a trinket,” Murid mimicked with her arms crossed.

‘You can hear me?!’

“Y’can hear me?”

Todd made a face at her. ‘Ok, you can stop copying me.’

“Ok you can stop copying me.”

‘I’m the ultimate fart master.’

“I’m the ultimaHEY” and he laughed. She came over to him, holding out her hand.

“Here, give it,” she gestured to his necklace. He took it off and handed it to her.

“Ok, now say something.” She instructed. She waited but not a peep came from him. She re-placed the crystal against his collarbone.

“Now say something.”

‘…what are you doing?’ Todd’s thoughts rang out clear in her mind, as if he were speaking aloud.

“See? You can talk now. Either use it to get a job or sell it off,” she said not unkindly, handing it back to him. He looked at her, the necklace, back at her and at the necklace again.

‘So you can actually hear me?’

“For goodness sake, yes.”

‘What number am I thinking of?’

“Potato- potato?” she stopped and gave him a weird look.

‘I wanted to make sure you weren’t lying,’ he grinned a sheepish grin.

“I am currently having a full on conversation with ya, how could I fake this?” she said dubiously. Todd didn’t know what to say so he just offered another grin. It stayed there and grew wider.

‘This, this is fantastic! I can, I can talk to people now! Sort of. No more flimsy sign language! Ever! At all! Hey how does my voice sound? Is it deep? I bet its deep.’

“Ugh, well…” Murid began. Todd’s heart immediately sank when she uttered the word ‘ugh’.

“It’s kind of hard to describe. Do you know how t’read?” Todd shrugged. “Ok, well… when you wrote your name inta the dirt, you sounded out the lettas in your head, right?” He nodded. “And you said your name in your head?” He nodded again.

“Your voice is kinda like that – when you’re reading something and you have that little voice inside your head that says the things you’re reading out loud, and you can hear it but your not forcing it. It’s kinda like that. As if I’m reading, the words, that you’re… saying.” Murid looked back at Todd’s blank face.

“Y’know what telepathy is?” He nodded. “You’re now telepathic, ‘s’long as you keep it on.” Explanation. Done.

Murid motioned towards the fallen coat. “Go ahead and put that on and get up.” She turned and pulled something out of her pocket. He couldn’t see what it was until she threw it into the air; the marble caught the light and seemed to hang suspended in the air for a millisecond before it came back to Murid’s hand. She flicked her hand around and smoke poured out, spreading long and tall. The smoke solidified, forming a staff with a milky blue crystal ball at the end. The more he looked at the ball the more details surfaced from within. The centre was a pearly white, dissipating into a blue, semi-transparent outer layer. Little fractures dotted throughout the sphere reflected and caught the light like tiny little stars. Wow it was pretty. And big. Todd thought she could wallop someone in the head pretty good with that thing. She chucked the staff out in front of her and it landed in the air sideways, hovering. It grew stirrups, bristles at the other end and two metallic rotors.

Well… This was the weirdest Monday.

“Ok. Get on!” Murid stuck out her hand at the hovering broom with a big, plastered smile.

He raised an eyebrow at her. They were going, to fly, on a broom? He had thought that at least that part about witches were just a myth. Alright then.

“How’s your feet? Y’can walk, right? I mean, you’re standing…” Murid nodded at him, breaking off his thoughts. Todd looked at his legs. Yes, he supposed he was standing. He couldn’t… really feel his legs though…

“So you can walk?” Murid asked again. Todd nodded, not moving. ‘Just gimme a sec,’ he said off-handed. Murid inched closer but didn’t say anything. He brought a skeletal, veiny foot forward, and took one step. He smiled at Murid, showing her that he was ok and she raised an eyebrow.

Then his vision turned splotchy and a million bees were buzzing in his ears. He fell forward, feeling lighter than air and heavier than stone in a bizarre combination. When his head stopped tingling and his eyes refocused, he realised he was looking up at the witch, her arms hooked under his armpits.

“So you can walk?” she asked again, both eyebrows arched. He gave a sheepish smile. Murid rolled her eyes and pushed him forward, giving herself room to manoeuvre his arm to sling around her shoulders. The two hobbled over to her waiting broom and she made him place his hands on the broom to keep his balance.

“Alright, now just hook your legs underneath my broom and hold on with your hands.” Murid instructed, lowering their ride a little.

‘You’re so good with helping you should be a broom instructor.’ Todd cracked, lifting a shaking leg. This caught Murid off guard and she spluttered.

“Well if we’re goin’ off on talents here you should go talk to actors about howta faint!” she jeered.

‘Ha.’

She looked at how he was seated and gave an over-the-top thumbs up and a wink. He squinted his eyes disapprovingly at her. She got on in front and pulled a pair of goggles out from beneath her hood and fitted them over her eyes as Todd slowly leaned to one side and fell off.

After a few minutes of laughing Murid helped Todd back up.

“Ok enough fooling around! I’ve really gotta go.”

‘Oh but I’m having so much fun. Any other household items you want me to mount? A tea pot perhaps?’ He barely got that joke out between his grinning and Murid doubled over, shaking.

“It’s a flipping impressive piece of magic and metal so stop makin’ fun of it!” She gasped.

‘Doesn’t change the fact you can still sweep your floors with it.’

“Shut up!” She looked at this grinning boy and she was glad that her eyes were full of tears of laughter, otherwise he would’ve noticed they were actual tears now. This wasn’t fair.

Her smile faded and her eyes grew wide when she heard them, her gaze growing hunted. Her ears pricked and her stomach shot cold. Todd noticed the change of mood and he gave her an odd look. She looked off in the direction of the town and she listened, hearing their intent and their gadgets whirring and their… they were barking.

“Ah, shivas tonight,” she breathed. Murid didn’t give Todd an explanation; she just turned and grabbed the broom. It reformed into a staff and she picked all of her campsite up, the pans, the rug, her violin, the stool, all in a dark purple vapour and moved it into her wagon with a wave of her arms. She cringed, keeping her right arm stiff.

‘What’s wrong?’ Todd asked, utterly confused. She ran to her wagon and sat down on the seat at the front before she looked at him and he could see the raw fear in her eyes. She flickered them from the trees and back to him. After a moment, she got up again and rushed over.

“Ok! Todd Worthington! Y’got one of two options because I gotta scarce myself immediately. One: you go off and hide somewhere, wait for the Skinna’s to pass and get back t’your town and hope by the Five they don’t execute you for bein’ witha witch or Two: …you can come with me.” The last words hung in the air. Her shoulders were so far up they were almost stapled to her ears and she was holding her breath. After a heartbeat she reached her hand out. Todd stared at her then down at her hand. He could hear them now, a group of these “Green Skinners”. He could hear strange machines whirring and beeping and horrible dogs booming. He looked at her hand, looked into her eyes, grinned and took it. Murid flinched like she’d been shocked, taking a moment to look at his rip and then at him in disbelief. She made a better hold on his hand and hauled him over to her wagon, Todd running like a newborn foal.

‘Uuuuhhh, shouldn’t we be getting away from these people?’

“We are.”

‘Then why are we sitting on a wagon that’s stuck to the ground?’

Murid reached up and pulled down a smooth pumpkin vine, holding them like reigns.

“Who said it was stuck?” she tilted her head, and pulled. The vines that encased the wagon moved, writhing like snakes and he felt the air rush past his ears and his stomach drop. He looked over the side and gasped; they were very high up. Four strong, spindly vines held up the wagon like legs, each attached to a pumpkin below as if they were feet. Murid raised and lowered and shifted her arms and the vines responded, swaying the wagon and turning towards the forest, the opposite direction of the town. The trees were a bit dense. Todd was worried they wouldn’t be able to make a quick getaway. Murid wasn’t. She just raised them up high above the tree tops and now the path was clear as day. Howls and whirrs resounded behind them and there was a woosh and Todd fell back against the force of the wagon leaping forward and they left the danger, the town, his home, her fear, and the morning behind them. Before them was the day.

(pls tell me if you find spelling errors I somehow miss them???)

#magicandmettle #writing #imaddcraze #maddinup

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maddinup · 7 years

Text

Magic and Mettle

Chapter 2

A Kind Witch…?

~ ~ ~

He tried stretching his head backward to look above and got a face full of pumpkin. That wasn’t what he had been expecting.

~ ~ ~

Her arm was aching.

Nothing.

Well, she couldn’t really blame him, being half starved and half dead. At least he looked half dead. Again, she hoped he wasn’t dead.

“Hello! Oh my goodness I sound like a little girl.”

“Hiya mate, I’m Murid! I... I’m a flippin’ captain of a pirate ship, wanna go across the seas? UGH.”

“Hello I’m Mughidgrenthumnb- Greenthumb, Greeeeeenthumb… I’m extremely glad you’re not conscious.”

“You’re alive right? …yep, you’re alive.”

“Hi I’m Murid and I really wish you’d wake up. I need to leave.”

“Hello poor and malnourished boy whom I saved from death last night, I’m Murid. Wake up.”

“I. Am. Murid. Greenthumb. How. Are. You? As you can see, I barely interact with any other sentient beings.”

“Hi I’m Murid who are you why are you homeless.”

“Hi I - oh my goodness what am I doing.”

She grew bored and self-conscious, so she decided to just get on with breakfast.

He couldn’t hurt her.

“…food,” she pointed again.

The boy looked at the steaming plate and then back at her. “Because you kinda look like you haven’t eaten fer a while…” He continued to stare at her. She sighed, putting down her fork.

Murid leaned forward slowly. “…y’do know what do with food right?” she whispered loudly. He flinched and looked at her.

“I’m, Murid, by the way…” she introduced herself. “What’s your name?”

The boy paused, considering his options. Murid watched him quizzically as he grabbed a nearby stick and started scrawling in the dirt. Murid tilted her head around to read the shaky writing.

“…Todd, Wor…Worthington?” she repeated aloud. He nodded at her.

~ ~ ~

Murid doused the fire with a bucket of water before taking his and her plate. The witch paused, looking from the dirty plates to the freshly put-out fire.

“Darn it,” she whispered and clenched her fists. “Ah I’ll clean ‘em later…”

…

Was she bribing him?

‘What does it do?’ he thought.

“It gives you the ability t’read aloud your thoughts.” Murid replied over her shoulder.

‘Oh ok, well it would be worth a lot if itWAIT WHAT?!’

‘She’s just trying to get rid of me with a trinket.’

“She’s just tryina get rid of me with a trinket,” Murid mimicked with her arms crossed.

‘You can hear me?!’

“Y’can hear me?”

Todd made a face at her. ‘Ok, you can stop copying me.’

“Ok you can stop copying me.”

‘I’m the ultimate fart master.’

“I’m the ultimaHEY” and he laughed. She came over to him, holding out her hand.

“Here, give it,” she gestured to his necklace. He took it off and handed it to her.

“Ok, now say something.” She instructed. She waited but not a peep came from him. She re-placed the crystal against his collarbone.

“Now say something.”

‘…what are you doing?’ Todd’s thoughts rang out clear in her mind, as if he were speaking aloud.

“See? You can talk now. Either use it to get a job or sell it off,” she said not unkindly, handing it back to him. He looked at her, the necklace, back at her and at the necklace again.

‘So you can actually hear me?’

“For goodness sake, yes.”

‘What number am I thinking of?’

“Potato- potato?” she stopped and gave him a weird look.

‘I wanted to make sure you weren’t lying,’ he grinned a sheepish grin.

“I am currently having a full on conversation with ya, how could I fake this?” she said dubiously. Todd didn’t know what to say so he just offered another grin. It stayed there and grew wider.

‘This, this is fantastic! I can, I can talk to people now! Sort of. No more flimsy sign language! Ever! At all! Hey how does my voice sound? Is it deep? I bet its deep.’

“Ugh, well…” Murid began. Todd’s heart immediately sank when she uttered the word ‘ugh’.

“Y’know what telepathy is?” He nodded. “You’re now telepathic, ‘s’long as you keep it on.” Explanation. Done.

Well… This was the weirdest Monday.

“Ok. Get on!” Murid stuck out her hand at the hovering broom with a big, plastered smile.

He raised an eyebrow at her. They were going, to fly, on a broom? He had thought that at least that part about witches were just a myth. Alright then.

“Alright, now just hook your legs underneath my broom and hold on with your hands.” Murid instructed, lowering their ride a little.

‘You’re so good with helping you should be a broom instructor.’ Todd cracked, lifting a shaking leg. This caught Murid off guard and she spluttered.

“Well if we’re goin’ off on talents here you should go talk to actors about howta faint!” she jeered.

‘Ha.’

After a few minutes of laughing Murid helped Todd back up.

“Ok enough fooling around! I’ve really gotta go.”

‘Oh but I’m having so much fun. Any other household items you want me to mount? A tea pot perhaps?’ He barely got that joke out between his grinning and Murid doubled over, shaking.

“It’s a flipping impressive piece of magic and metal so stop makin’ fun of it!” She gasped.

‘Doesn’t change the fact you can still sweep your floors with it.’

“Shut up!” She looked at this grinning boy and she was glad that her eyes were full of tears of laughter, otherwise he would’ve noticed they were actual tears now. This wasn’t fair.

‘Uuuuhhh, shouldn’t we be getting away from these people?’

“We are.”

‘Then why are we sitting on a wagon that’s stuck to the ground?’

Murid reached up and pulled down a smooth pumpkin vine, holding them like reigns.

Author’s note: This is the second chapter of my novel! Tell me what you think and if you’d like to read more! MAn I dunno I just like wriiitiiiing stooriiieeesss...

#magicandmettle #magic&mettle #writing #muridgreenthumb #toddworthington

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