The Hexed Golden Apples

“Yes! How sublime the evening is!” a tone of panic slips in my voice that I hope I alone was able to notice. “Eh.. would you mind if I borrow your coat? It’s chilly this evening.” After the doorman placed the wool around my shoulders, I took a peek and rummaged the pockets to gauge if the coast is clear. I ran as fast as I could with desperation written all over my face. With a snap of my fingers, I turned the piece of cloth into wings. I have no idea if I’m exceedingly brave or exceptionally stupid. There’s no turning back now. The thing about golden apples is they are dreadfully easy to lose. How could you expect a witch to hold on to an apple when mad leprechauns practically beg for them all day. I couldn’t blame them; the fruits are to die for and particularly why my apple pies are crazy addictive. Today, I’m the one who’s mad. No, I’m burning in fury. My queen ordered me to make a hundred apple pies for the banquet tomorrow but she couldn’t have picked a worse time. A thief broke into my garden and took all of my gems! Just then, a glimmer of gold caught my eye. I instantly knew I was in for a long night. I flew through the night sky, soaring beside the towering buildings, praying that no mortals see me. The last time I met up with them, they tried to burn me on a stick, never doing that again. A huge shadow brushes past me, a warlock aboard a griffin. He’s near as I duck behind the tower of Esmeralda and catch the bludgeoning thief by the tip of his toes. He swishes a hex past me but I lunged. I glimpse him holding a sack filled to the brim- my apples. Another hex pointed toward me and I’m caught. Before I got smacked to the ground, I got a hold of his arm and dragged him with me. Thankfully, his griffin caught both of us. As dazed as I am, I hold onto him for dear life. He stopped resisting and let me rest on his shoulders, decency probably caught up to him, I thought, as he caught sight of a smirk on my bruised face. After flying for a few minutes, I ask “Why did you take them?” “Your pies were dangerous.” “Excuse me? I put my heart and soul into my baked good. They’re dangerously good, that’s what.” “You don’t understand. The turned witches were planning to poison your pies and let the queen feast on them.” “That couldn’t be true! Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Confused and disoriented, I pushed back and went quiet. I looked up blankly at the brilliant full moon, desperately asking for answers. Hesitantly, he replied “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. Your life will be the one at stake if the queen is poisoned. There’d be no one else to blame but you. So I figured… no golden apples, no poisoned pie” “Okay.. that would make sense.” The two witch kingdoms have been on a never-ending power struggle ever since the dawn of time in which my queen has prevailed as the rightful ruler each time. As I connected the dots, I realized the absurdity of the situation I was in and quickly regained my senses. “I shouldn’t be here. Someone will look for me. If I’m not in my cabin, they’ll know something’s up. We need a plan.” Slowly fluttering down, we hopped off the griffin’s back. In the dark forest, we went, filled with trees with roots intertwined, their shadows covered everything in our path. Then, a clearing appeared- my cabin, a columned marble hallway greeted us. Once inside, I briskly put on my apron and prepared all the ingredients I need, toppling a few bottles of milk. “Okay! Dazzle me with your wits. What do you suggest we do?” “I suggest you not bake apple pies.” “Seeing you won’t change your mind. Let’s protect the pie and not let it get poisoned. Worse comes to worst, let’s concoct an antidote to counter the effects of the poison if your queen does somehow ingest it.” I nodded and placed a cauldron in the center of all of it. I probably looked like I was ready to voodoo everyone I meet and cast obliterating dark spells. “A cup of salt, a bucket of lemon juice, dozens of eggs, buckets of sugar, and finally.. the sliced golden apples.” Then I noticed a glint of smoke through the side of my vision. “How’s the antidote going?” I ask. “Well… it’ll be hard to know for sure if this would suffice. However, I am the best warlock to have for this job. I know my antidotes.” It all felt like a rush in a dream cloud as both of us stayed up all night creating everything. I would lie if I said I wasn’t touched by what Mr. thief has done, considering he didn’t need to do any of this at all. That was until I remembered that my head was at stake with one wrong slip. Griffin flew us to the queen’s castle. Thief boy offered to carry all hundred pies using a tiny sack that was spell-bound to carry anything with ease. Before we entered, thief boy stopped me near the gates. “Hey! Here’s the antidote. Just for emergencies, alright?” his eyes pleading with concern that made my heart clench. I nodded then arranged all pies onto the huge linen-covered table when we got inside the queen’s castle just in time for the banquet. I kept a lookout behind a column near the table while thief boy stayed close above the staircase near the queen. Waiters came in to get all other ninety-nine pies out to the townspeople. The celebration outside was full of merriment. Nothing out of the blue yet until I felt a rumble beneath my feet. Something wasn’t right. In a blink, two turned witches appeared near the table. No one else seemed to notice their arrival. Without a flash of judgment, I lunged myself at one of the witches, and thief boy pointed a hex to another. The witch somehow wriggled past me as I dodged one of her hexes. She held out a small bottle in her hand, popped the cork off, releasing a violent green smoke. “No!” Two drops were all it took. I knew it couldn’t be helped. The witches took hold of me. Struggling, I caught a glimpse of thief boy lying beside a chair, unconscious. A waiter came in for the queen’s pie. The witches hexed me and with one final blow, I fell to the ground. After a few moments, I saw the dark witches leave in one wind sweep. I gathered all the strength I had left and followed where the waiter went and saw the queen. She had a slice of pie and was about to dive in with her fork. That was when I made my decision. “To hell with it!” I spread my wings, took the pie, and ate all of it while flying as far as I can. Through gritted teeth, I took the antidote and patiently waited before I pass out or die. What happened next was a blur. As if by miracle, my thief friend caught me just before I smacked my head to the ground. Taking a breath of fresh air and just then noticing the beautiful sunset filled with pink and lilacs unfolding above us. Laying in his arms, I asked: “Hey, what’s your name?” The blue in his eyes spoke for themselves. “Felix. And you are...? fine…? “Stella”.