The Dangers of Thoughts

Ugh. I hate these woods after it rains. It’s so mushy.

“By the look on your face it seems as if you wouldn’t want to be here.” Her brother. Her annoying brother forced her to come along to collect some wood for the school fire pit. The Hunting School of Etain the Great.

If I’m being honest, the king of Winthrop, seems like kind of a jerk. I don’t trust that guy. And I have my reasons. They’re good ones too. I’d get arrested for saying anything like that though to anyone.

The school though, has seemed to teach my brother a lot.

I don’t know what they taught them there, but I don’t think it’s fair they don’t let ladies go there.

My point is we’re in the forest looking for wood for his class bonfire.

The forest gets darker as we walk in silence. It starts to get windier too. So I ask My brother, “Hey, maybe we should turn back and just chop off some wood.”

My brother argued,” No, all the wood over there has been rotting since the rain, and since we were busy this morning we have to do it now.” There was a sternness in his voice. Almost as if he was angry they couldn’t find enough wood.

It’s just too bad blocks of wood don’t fall from trees. That’s when I heard him mutter something under his breath.

“Why am I not surprised a girl wants to turn back. I guess there’s a reason girls don’t go to school.” And that right there got me. It’s what everyone thinks. That’s why some kids around the neighborhood avoided her.

I just don’t get what’s wrong with girls going to school. I mean, not necessarily hunting, but something like being a doctor, or maybe even working with the king.

Might help him make better decisions.

But that’s where I snap. It’s people like that who get on my nerves.

“Well then you can look for the wood by yourself, " I yell at him! I start to run off, not exactly sure what direction.

I started walking in the direction of home. The trees start to look different. Vines wrapped around them as far as the leaves on the tree top.

I’m lost.

I’ll get out of here soon. I hope.

I walked for a while, when I came upon a wooden house. It looks just built with dark wood, but it couldn’t have been, or if it was, it must’ve been hard doing it with branches scraping the sides and top of the roof.

I really don’t mind talking to people, but when I’m in a forest, alone with my parents words of ‘don’t talk to strangers’ running through my head, it’s hard not be nervous.

I knocked on the door.

Knowing it wasn’t loud enough, I worked up the courage to give a real knock.

No one answered, and it took a while for it to finally open.

I could see nothing inside, all I could see didn’t even count because it was an endless darkness.

I didn’t realize until later that I was shaking a bit. Why did I have to run off? I should’ve just stayed with Arthur. My brother, who doesn’t even care that I’ve run off.

I’m sure half, if not more of the kids at the village wouldn’t care if I’ve gone missing.

Not only that, I’m the girl with the weird name! Bormey. Well, I like my name but others seem to think it’s terrible.

I finally convinced myself to walk in and so I did. The house was completely dark, and once I’d slowly walked to the middle of the house the door slammed shut behind me. By itself.

I had no idea what else to do so I said, “Hello? Look, I just need help finding my way back to the village.” There was no response.

After a minute a man’s raspy voice started to speak. “Well then you shouldn’t have left, young lady. Though, I don’t know how you could’ve gotten a magic force field.” At first I thought he was talking to me, but then he started mumbling about magic and force fields.

“Sir, do you have directions to the village. The Village of Winthrop? You could come back with me if you’d like.”

“OH NO!” He shouted from behind me. I couldn’t see him, all I could hear was his voice, so I hadn’t known he moved. His voice also sounded like a normal man this time. Almost business type.

“I apologize, I would love to come back to the village with you, but there seems to be a slight problem, about getting around the force field.” Okay, so today I learned, don’t run off and if you do, just keep walking and don’t run into any mad people like this man. Does he seriously believe in magic, of all things?! “Alright, I have a plan, but I guess I should explain first. See I put up a force field of a bunch of vines, and I know you can’t just walk through them or get through them, because they’re indestructible, so that means you’re a witch!” Hold it. This guy thinks he’s a wizard?

“Why did I have to run into this house? And the only vines I saw were in the trees! This is-.”

“Yes, yes, I know it sounds absurd, but it’ s true, and I will try my best not to be offended. The important thing is that you know that you are a witch and that you need to run. I know of a dark witch that will try anything to get rid of magic, just so she can take over the seven kingdoms. Yes that includes your precious village you care so much about. We must keep you hidden before she casts your village under a spell like she has mine.” He stepped out of the shadows and looked like an ordinary man. Red hair and bright green eyes. Must’ve been in his thirties. “I am a wizard, and we must go to your village and protect it, well, mostly you, I’ve done my village protections.” I’m sorry what? This is absolutely crazy. He thinks I’m a witch, which can get me sent to prison or punishment by death, and he wants me to protect a village!?

Well… At least I’ll find my way back home. So, might as well play along.

“Okay, let’s go!” But he didn’t move. “What’s the hold up?”

“You don’t believe me. So let me show you.” He started to whisper something I couldn’t hear and suddenly a glowing ball of fire appeared in his hand and… there was nothing to do except realize what he was saying was true. And… I kinda wanted to do that, I mean, It’s magic and it’s amazing! He finally started to lead me out of the forest and we made it back to the village and boy was my brother mad.

“Do you know how much trouble I’m in! Wait… who’s this?” I was about to respond to my very furious brother, when the man who’s name I don’t know jumped in.

“Oh, I was out in the forest looking for some stuff I left in there. Couldn’t find it, but this girl came and found me and we came back here. Sorry, my name’s Dewin. You are?” The man named Dewin shook Arthur’s hand, and Arthur said, “I’m Arthur. Arthur Pendragon.”

“What! Oh, sorry. I must go home, hopefully I’ll see you around.”

“Same to you! Thank you for finding my sister.” Then he looked toward me with fiery eyes. “Bormey! How could you leave like that!..”

So after getting in trouble with all of that and getting extra chores. I also ended up getting lucky.

Tomorrow my parents have to go to a Amil’s grandma’s house. Not totally sure what it’s about, but while they are over there and Arthur’s at school, I can work with Dewin to set another force field and get everything fixed. Maybe even learn a few spells. Si I met him at the edge of the forest the next day.

“Ya, so we can’t cover this whole village by today. Do you have any friends?” Wow. That’s not mean at all.

“Yes, I do, but they’re at school. So lets get done what we can and when there out I’ll go get them.”

“What about any of your friends that are girls?”

“Who said I had any?” I’m starting to like this guy less and less. What’s wrong with him! That reminds me… “Why did you jump when my brother said his name yesterday?”

“The simplest way to put this is that I’ve been to the future. And the late 17th century. The one you’re in now, is a lot different from the one I’ve come from. But I can’t tell you anything or I’ll mess up time, so don’t ask.” I really want to ask, but I don’t wanna ruin anything, especially my future. I just already have so many questions coming to my head.

He showed me how to create a sort of a bubble field where, there will be an empty space, but I can trick people into seeing something different. But even if they don’t stay away they will just bounce back from the force of the field.

“Now when you project it in the forest focus on every detail.” So I did. I put up a bunch of signs that said wild hungry beasts were in the forest, and that’s basically the village’s worst fear after hearing reports from the castle about it.

I walked to the school and waited outside for my two best friends. Isaac and Colton.

“Hey Bormey,” Isaac said.

Colton asked, “What’s up?”

“Come with me guys, I need to tell you something!” We ran off to the forest. Dewin said we only got a third of the village covered, and once I explained to my friends what was going on they agreed, though Colton seemed more leery of it.

I explained it to them and then I realized my parents would be home soon so I went home to see if I could get them out of the house some way or another. Except they didn’t come home until thirty minutes after they said they would.

“Hey how did it go?” I asked.

“It’s getting worse. She even asked for you to come, she wanted to give you something.” Wait, this was Amil’s grandmother, right? Amil is like the biggest jerk ever. You know what it gets us out of the house for a while and maybe on the way from it’ll work, but why would she want to give me something. I don’t even know her.

We finally arrived at the house and when they took me to Amil’s grandmother she smiled at me wickedly. There was no one in the room and suddenly she spoke in a deep voice that almost wasn’t hers. “I know you’re putting up a fore field, but it must come to an end. I got Dewin banned from his old village. I have taken over all of the other six kingdoms and the seven villages inside of all of them, this is the last kingdom and the last village before I will rule all. It’s too bad my last village will be the one with the most untrained witch protecting it, but just in case…” She swiftly grabbed my wrist and when i tried to yank away, she wouldn’t let go as if her hands were made of steel. I couldn’t yell for help my voice was out somehow. She started to mumble things like Dewin did when he made the flame.

“What did you do!?” I shouted at her.

“Well, if the force field gets finished you will have to tell the king your true feelings and deepest secrets at midnight tonight. But if it doesn’t get finished, I take over the last village and you can’t stop me. You’re free to go, also I’m not sick, so no need to feel sorry for me.” She let go of her iron hold and I ran from the room, out the house to where they were working on the force field.

“Look, when it stops working, come to me and I’ll give you more magic to do the force field and it’s getting late so we better get this done. Hey, your back, Bormey! Man, you have some fun friends by the way. Okay I think were up to half the village done, but-”

“We have a problem! I ran into the witch you warned me about! She’s pretending to be Amil’s sick grandmother, and she put some sorta spell on me…”, I explained everything to them. And Dewin couldn’t help. He just said that, either way there would be death, but also on both sides are loopholes. He said he’d think about it and that I should too.

See if I spill all my secrets, that includes thinking girls can go to school and that we’re magic and my friends are helping.

All punishable by death. But on the other hand, I’m untrained and can’t possibly protect this village.

It just reminds me of fairy tales I was told when I was little.

How did the good always win? … Magic! That has to be the answer! Now I know what to do!

My plan is to finish the field, get in trouble. They will hopefully send us the dungeon first, then we escape.

“I guess that could work, but you’re forgetting the real problem. She’s already here. Once she leaves she can’t get back in, but it’s going to be hard to get her to leave, but it’s the only option.” So we finished the force field and we finished an hour before sunset.

So we decided to get it over with and we walked up to the kings castle. Somehow, there were no guards.

I walked straight in and stood before the king.

“Guards, what is a little 9 year old doing here!?”

“Actually, I’m 11.”

“Doesn’t make a difference though, does it?”

“It does, but there’s a problem. A spell was cast on me so I will tell you all my secrets before you, when the clock strikes twelve.” He looked shocked, but maybe in a way as if he thought this was a joke. That’s when I heard everything so silent. No movement, no wind, no nothing and I couldn’t see. My mouth started to move on it’s own, and I’m not even sure what I said, but finally it all went away and I was back to reality.

“What did I say? What happened?” The king was so red that I thought his head might pop.

“GUARDS SEIZE ALL FOUR OF THEM! NOW!” He got up from his throne and stormed out a side door that slammed shut, and everyone of my friends, including Dewin, looked at me very surprised.

We all willingly walked to the dungeon, and once we were there, all in different gross cells, we all sat in silence.

“What? All I said was that he’s a dumb guy who can’t rule his kingdom and that girls should go to school and that we have all been performing illegal magic. Right?” They all turned to me and looked dumbfounded.

“I mean, you left out something, also while saying all of that, you might’ve said words that your parents definitely don’t like.” Colton said. Oh… I guess I said words, I haven’t ever said, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought it…

“Okay, well, we can’t focus on that right now. Let’s just break out of here and get rid of that evil witch.”

So we did. He cast sort of an explosion spell that blew up a wall and we could just… walk out. Then walking out, we saw her.

She suddenly transformed into a regular village girl like Dewin.

Bunches of villagers were running around screaming and running into houses.

“You can’t defeat me this way and you know it.” I was about to respond when she blasted me with a ray of darkness and when I got up, she had also blasted Colton.

I couldn’t think of a single spell to help. I saw Isaac trying to sneak up on her from behind, but when she turned around and he tried to dive for her feet she zapped him with a ray of lightning.

“NO!” I ran to him from the other side. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.

The witch floated up to the sky and said, “I now have the power to take over the last village.” She made a giant cloud of black smoke and while it started floating all over the town, Issac whispered to me, “There was always more to stop the villain than magic in fairy tales. And you know what it is too.” That’s when I realized what it was. It’s in every fairy tale and I missed it.

He grabbed my face and brought it closer to his, until our lips touched.

All of a sudden, when I tried to open my eyes everything was so bright I couldn’t. When it went away I saw no witch.

“With a force that strong, I’d say she’s out of the kingdom and I must go help all the others. You must stay here and watch after this village.” Dewin said, glanced at Issac and I, and went on his way.

“I’m sorry, but grossssssss.” Colton said.

“Hey but it was truly a magic kiss.” Isaac said.

I learned some very important things. One, you can hide feelings from yourself, and true love is real. Two, it doesn’t matter what people think. I mean advice is different from people just being mean. So don’t care. after all, you will have a friend in some way. You might even be their hero.