“My dear little one, everything will be alright. The world is yours to enjoy, be free”. Elara wakes up with a slight gasp. It’s the same few words once again, she thought to herself as the sunlight beamed through her windows. She struggles to get up. Maybe she’s not motivated enough? Or maybe because Luna is cuddling up right next to her, brushing her black, velvet like fur along her nose. Her personal alarm clock and part time butler on the other side of the room did not care for the nonchalance as he ringed in the morning.“Ding Dong, It’s time to wake up Miss Elara!” it exclaimed with a hint of cautious anxiety. You already have customers waiting outside your shop!”.
“It’s okay Mr Clock, they can wait a bit longer”, Elara said as she yawned. “I just need a moment to be more presentable. Besides, Mrs Eggs hasn’t cooked up anything for me yet”, she caught her chef’s hat napping in peace.
“Ehhh, It’s fine, it was a long day for everyone yesterday. I can just get something at the farmer’s market”, Elara sighed as her stomach growled in hunger.“If I may, Miss Elara, I think you are being a bit too harsh on yourself lately. I know there’s a lot on your mind but these late night adventures are not good for your health at all. Everyone here was worried about you”. “I’ll be fine. Our patrons at the door are not. They have the look of concern from here”.
Elara stood up with a sudden surge of motivation to start the day. In a span of seconds, six fairies, which looked awfully similar to her and about an eye’s size, brushed her hair, changed her clothes into a traditional tangerine garb and sprinkled a bottle’s worth of fragrant perfume all over her. Luna got her fair share of lavender too, complete with a satin bow tie. “Another day full of sunshine and opportunity! Just like she used to say…”. Elara said with a hint of sadness in her voice. With Luna at her side (as always), Elara presented her hand forward. Mr Clock swiftly shifted its gears, accompanied by a cacophony of mechanical buzzes and whirs and transformed itself into a mechanical pocket watch, fitting right inside Elara’s welcoming palms.
The door’s sophisticated lock mechanism twisted and turned to Elara’s wrist as she moved towards the door to meet her patient customers. Standing right by the door, an elderly couple with a look of desperation adorning their faces.
“I’m really sorry for making you stand for so long in the morn”, Elara apologised to the couple. “Please come in, I’ll fetch you some tea!”. The elderly couple entered the shop cautiously, fearing the apparent atrocities that a witch’s abode might be hiding within. Contrary to the outlandish claims from the nearby locals, Elara’s shop was more like a herbarium with colorful fragrances thrown into the mix. This place actually feels quite relaxing, they thought to themselves.
“Please be seated, I’ll get some chamomile tea ready for the both of you!”. Elara was happy with the company she had in the morning. “Oh chamomile tea sounds wonderful little one but unfortunately, we are here about something which requires urgent attention. Possibly from your master?”
The elderly couple were clearly expecting someone much older than the young witch who was preoccupied with getting the teapot warm through a heating spell. Yet, a single word stopped her in her tracks.“I’m sorry, were you expecting someone else?”. Elara quickly dismissed their assumptions.
“No, dearie”, the elderly woman continued while her husband remained silent. “We were only told to expect someone with greyer hair than yours. Many of our townsfolk sang praises about her - how she saved a village by tricking a monster, how she helped even the dead in their eternal slumber and… how she was always there for people in need”.
Elara was not able to face the elderly couple as they were describing the supposed previous owner of the shop, for she was slowly sinking into a puddle of tears. Her thoughts quickly flashed back to much simpler… and happier times. However, Elara being quite composed and resilient for a girl her age, wiped her tears away with a single gesture of her palm. The tea in the kettle meanwhile, was boiling over. “This person you are looking for is… not here anymore. She… she had to leave and did so a long time ago. I can assure you that I will take care of anything that ails your husband”.
Elara was observant in noticing that the elderly man did not utter a single word since they entered her shop. “You have a sharp eye, young one. Perhaps I was too quick to judge. You see, my dearest next to me has quite literally lost his voice”. “Since when?”, enquired Elara.
“After last week’s supper. All we ate was soup and a loaf of bread”. The elderly couple looked bewildered at the cause behind her innocent husband’s curious predicament.“Was he bit by any chance, perhaps by a hicklebug? They are notorious for silencing voices but…for only a few minutes. Maybe it was the work of a jealous lyrebird, but they usually go for maidens, don’t they?”. Elara took a quick glance at the elderly couple and was met with a quick glance of disappointment of their own. They had come a long way to find a cure, probably having sought the help of her more experienced compatriots. Elara was no stranger to helping people with simple queries at such a young age but this was above her novice pedigree. “If I may, Miss Elara”, Mr Clock suddenly popped up from the comfort of Elara’s pocket. He usually doesn’t entertain Elara in the presence of others for he fears that they might be taken aback by a talking pocket watch.
“I believe Master Vyleria was working on a similar case way back in the day. She still might have a few notes with her. You know how she liked to write about everything?”. Luna seemed to look at Elara with agreement. Suddenly, Elara was taken back to a time where she was only but a little cub, where she would do her best to disturb her master while she was deep in putting her thoughts onto paper. She smiled to herself as she remembered a time when she was playing around trying to get her master’s attention, only to get herself drenched in invisible ink. Her smile quickly turned to sorrow as she was brought back to reality. A reality where she could not experience these moments with her anymore.
“Alright, let’s go upstairs then”. Elara muttered quietly to her non-human company, before turning to the elderly couple.
“I think I might have something but I am not exactly sure if it will work. I only need but a moment to pick the right things for you. Be back in a flash. Please enjoy the tea and feel free to look at my flower collection in the meantime!”. Elara reassured the couple knowing that she was their only answer at this point. Elara walked up to the attic with Luna escorting her. She had not been in her Master’s cabin since the last spring cleaning. Even then, she never ever touched her Master’s belongings - her herbs, her spells and her work. It is usually a sign of respect and part of a witch’s code that no witch should touch another colleague’s work but this was not the reason for Elara’s reluctance in frequenting her Master’s abode. She felt that one more look at her Master’s office would take over her emotions like it did many a time before. Nevertheless, she had a job to do and with that thought in mind, she moved towards the library.
“Let’s see..here, I think this particular case was in early 1452”. Mr Clock floated around the racks of notes and documents dating back a century at the very least. Witches unsurprisingly live for a long time but like any other living creature, their time must come to an end. Elara accompanied her friend in tow, parsing through the record collection while not uttering a single word. She remained focused but her grief is quickly catching up to her.
“Got it! This right here mentions an old man losing his voice, quite similar to whatever the chap below got into”. Mr Clock with his sharp eye, found what they were looking for. “Looks like this was the result of an indirect curse. And look! Master Vyleria was actually able to reverse it” Elara looked at Mr Clock with a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
“We don’t even know if he has been cursed and I..I haven’t even removed a curse before!!”. Elara exclaimed to Mr Clock. Luna blinked at her witch friend slowly to comfort her. “I know she used to keep a spellbook around here somewhere. We need to check her office”.“No”. Elara disagreed. “I do not want to go there again”.
“Miss Elara. When I was first created by your Master, my purpose was to not only serve her in her endeavors but also to make sure that you are being taken care of. She loved you but she is not here anymore. You have to move on”.
“NO! I do not want to go there again. Every single time I go there, I always…”. Elara broke down into tears. “I always think about her again and again. How she used to braid my hair sitting at this very desk. How I used to pull back her long ashen hair when she fell asleep on the desk”.
Luna mewed just a little and put her soft black paw on Elara’s hand. She was already sitting in a pool of tears. “ I miss her so much. She was the only thing I’ve ever had and she left me!”. Mr Clock despite being an automaton, empathised with Elara. “But she never ever left you. I think part of her will always be within you. The part where you help people in their time of need”.
Elara slowly wiped back her tears. She had a job to do, to help the couple in their time of need. She walked to her Master’s office which was still adorned with ornamental decorations, which were mostly gifts from grateful patrons. Her desk was locked by an illusion which was easily dispelled by Mr Clock. “First drawer, herbs and rope bindings. Not quite what we are looking for”, said Mr Clock while Elara swiftly opened each of the drawers, barely keeping her emotions from overcoming her again.
“Her spellbook has to be here. I know it!”, Mr Clock was quite confident in his statement. Elara had all but one drawer left. To their luck, there was a spellbook, covered in the usual witchery embroidery.
“There it is, Miss Elara. Miss Elara??”. Elara was distracted by something else sitting next to the spellbook. This other book was adorned in a similar fashion to the spellbook but was much smaller in size. The word “Diary” in calligraphic writing marked the rest of the cover.
“It looks like it’s her journal. This might have some clues for removing the curse too!”. Mr Clock was enthusiastic, not knowing that privacy is a moral norm. Elara was hesitant but something told her that she needed to open the book. A feeling that the book was calling to her. Every time her hand reached out to grab the book, she reeled back and yet it drew ever closer. After much deliberation, she grabbed the book and quickly opened the diary. The diary was blank except for the first page which was titled simply, “The List”. Accompanying the title was an itinerary of sorts, enumerating a number of tasks waiting to be crossed out. Elara started going through the list, wondering to herself what this all meant.
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This story is a part of a series. More coming soon!
Lots of Love,
The Dots
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