so?”
They both found out why when they came out of
the other side of the mountain. They had barely cleared the opening
when there was a great gust of wind and dirt and small stones that
blew from the opening of the cave. Then the mountain was sealed
again, as if there had never been a passageway.
“Did you do that?” William asked.
“I helped” Ophelia smiled. “Come, we have a
long way to travel before we will be home.” Ophelia said.
William and Ophelia walked for four days
before finally Ophelia announced that they had arrived. Before them
was a Village of medium size, but one that seemed to be very
active. They walked into a boarding house and asked if they had a
room available.
When asked their names, Ophelia said “We are
Philip and Anna.” The man at the front desk smacked his gums and
said “Yer husband deft?”
“Could you show us to a room, sir?” William
said by way of answering him. They were showed to a tiny room that
held a bed and a dresser. “If you folks are hungry you can get a
meal downstairs. Planning to stay long?”
Ophelia smiled and said that she was very
tired and glad that the bed looked to be of good quality. The man
who had showed them the room gave up and left them alone.
“Philip and Anna?” William asked after making
sure the man was no longer near their room door.
“For now.”
“I am so tired, but my weariness is only
matched by the pains of lack of food. A meal sounds in order.”
William said.
Ophelia motioned to the bowl on the dresser
and asked William if he could find some clean water so that they
might wash themselves before going back downstairs to eat.
While he was gone, Ophelia looked out of
their window and as she had been doing all along, she studied the
way the people outside dressed. When William returned with the
water, he was shocked to find his wife cleaned and dressed in what
was for the time period, very fashionable garments. His surprise
grew when she motioned to the set of apparel on their bed, boots
included, apparently for him.
“Ophelia!”
“Anna.”
“We have not spoken between us what it means
for you to have powers, but I feel a talk is in order right now. It
cannot wait. Not even for my empty belly!”
“What do you wish to know?”
“To start, how did you get the mountains to
part?”
“The red stones from the necklace, William,
the one Julia gave me.”
“How could it part mountains?”
“To be fair, twas but a cave which cut
through the bottom of one mountain that allowed us to pass safely
to the other side. There is also a lot of limestone located in the
Pennines which makes it soft in spots. Although it was most
definitely the stones from the necklace.”
“What is limestone?” William asked,
bewildered.
“It is a mineral. I know this is all unheard
of to you, William. Trust me when I say that we would be sitting on
this bed for days were you to ask me about all the ways and names
and events you puzzled over. You need to trust me.”
“So, this power that you possess, it is
endless? You can create anything out of the air, or soil?”
“I do not know the full extent of my powers,
never having been able to practice them. Mother always insisted
that Gertrude and I tend to the gardens and sew our own clothing. I
never saw the reasons behind her words as I do now. Can you imagine
Gertrude dressed in clothing grander than a queen in our
forest?”
“Tis a big difference from sewing your own
clothing and making an entire trunk of clothing appear in this
room, wife.”
“Oh, you noticed.”
“I noticed.”
“Put on what is laying on the bed for now and
we can go have our meal.”
“Is this place to be our home now?”
“Only for a couple of weeks. I am afraid they
are about to become embroiled in another civil war here and I do
not wish us to be around for that.” Ophelia said.
“Certainly not!”
“Foolish war, over Christmas.”
“Ophelia, when Gertrude first told
They both found out why when they came out of
the other side of the mountain. They had barely cleared the opening
when there was a great gust of wind and dirt and small stones that
blew from the opening of the cave. Then the mountain was sealed
again, as if there had never been a passageway.
“Did you do that?” William asked.
“I helped” Ophelia smiled. “Come, we have a
long way to travel before we will be home.” Ophelia said.
William and Ophelia walked for four days
before finally Ophelia announced that they had arrived. Before them
was a Village of medium size, but one that seemed to be very
active. They walked into a boarding house and asked if they had a
room available.
When asked their names, Ophelia said “We are
Philip and Anna.” The man at the front desk smacked his gums and
said “Yer husband deft?”
“Could you show us to a room, sir?” William
said by way of answering him. They were showed to a tiny room that
held a bed and a dresser. “If you folks are hungry you can get a
meal downstairs. Planning to stay long?”
Ophelia smiled and said that she was very
tired and glad that the bed looked to be of good quality. The man
who had showed them the room gave up and left them alone.
“Philip and Anna?” William asked after making
sure the man was no longer near their room door.
“For now.”
“I am so tired, but my weariness is only
matched by the pains of lack of food. A meal sounds in order.”
William said.
Ophelia motioned to the bowl on the dresser
and asked William if he could find some clean water so that they
might wash themselves before going back downstairs to eat.
While he was gone, Ophelia looked out of
their window and as she had been doing all along, she studied the
way the people outside dressed. When William returned with the
water, he was shocked to find his wife cleaned and dressed in what
was for the time period, very fashionable garments. His surprise
grew when she motioned to the set of apparel on their bed, boots
included, apparently for him.
“Ophelia!”
“Anna.”
“We have not spoken between us what it means
for you to have powers, but I feel a talk is in order right now. It
cannot wait. Not even for my empty belly!”
“What do you wish to know?”
“To start, how did you get the mountains to
part?”
“The red stones from the necklace, William,
the one Julia gave me.”
“How could it part mountains?”
“To be fair, twas but a cave which cut
through the bottom of one mountain that allowed us to pass safely
to the other side. There is also a lot of limestone located in the
Pennines which makes it soft in spots. Although it was most
definitely the stones from the necklace.”
“What is limestone?” William asked,
bewildered.
“It is a mineral. I know this is all unheard
of to you, William. Trust me when I say that we would be sitting on
this bed for days were you to ask me about all the ways and names
and events you puzzled over. You need to trust me.”
“So, this power that you possess, it is
endless? You can create anything out of the air, or soil?”
“I do not know the full extent of my powers,
never having been able to practice them. Mother always insisted
that Gertrude and I tend to the gardens and sew our own clothing. I
never saw the reasons behind her words as I do now. Can you imagine
Gertrude dressed in clothing grander than a queen in our
forest?”
“Tis a big difference from sewing your own
clothing and making an entire trunk of clothing appear in this
room, wife.”
“Oh, you noticed.”
“I noticed.”
“Put on what is laying on the bed for now and
we can go have our meal.”
“Is this place to be our home now?”
“Only for a couple of weeks. I am afraid they
are about to become embroiled in another civil war here and I do
not wish us to be around for that.” Ophelia said.
“Certainly not!”
“Foolish war, over Christmas.”
“Ophelia, when Gertrude first told
Similar Books
