heart beat faster as she reached into the hole, and she gasped when her fingers closed on flower stems. Alek had written to her again!
After leaving her own letters in the hollow tree, she was on her way back to the cottage with the bouquet and Alekâs letter when she heard the clash of metal on metal and men shouting in the town. Turning to look, she saw men fighting farther down the street.
âGet inside!â shouted Boris.
âWhat is it?â she asked as she hurried to the gate.
âIt looks like the war has come here, too,â Krany said as soldiers on lathered horses raced past the cottage into town. âEvil spreads faster than good, like my grandmother used to say.â
The fighting was drawing closer when Serafina slipped inside the cottage and shut the door. âChicken hut, chicken hut, take me away from here!â she cried, and threw herself onto the bed.
A cup fell off the table and shattered when the cottage lurched from side to side. The shouting outdoors grew louder, and Serafina wondered if the men had seenthe cottage move. But then she forgot all about them as she opened the note from Alek.
My Darling Fina,
Someone took my last noteâI hope that it was you. I am placing another in the tree and will continue to put them there until the day we are together again. Please let me know that you have received my message.
I have learned more about Baba Yaga. An old woman told me that once in every generation, Baba Yaga must find her replacement. The old woman believes that because Baba Yaga sent for you, you are that replacement.
Everyone here is fine. I go to see your family often. Alina had her baby! It is a boy and they have named him Osip. When I held him the other day, he spit up all over me. He smiled and seemed very pleased with himself, but they told me it was just gas. Widow Zloto visits your parents every day. She tells us that she has befriended a poor hatmaker and is buying his hats to help him out. The hats are awful and she is wearing a new one every time I see her.
Do not despair, Fina. I am not going to give up! We will be together again! If there is a way to get you back, I am going to find it!
Love,
Alek
Tears blurred her eyes as Serafina read the note a second time, then a third. Alina had given birth to her baby! Serafina had promised to be there to help out, and now she didnât know if sheâd ever even see the little one. If only Sylanna had never sent her that letter!
As for Alek, sheâd always known that he was stubborn and she didnât doubt for an instant that he would keep looking for her no matter what. At first the knowledge that he cared so much for her made her feel warm and good inside, but then she began to wonder if she really wanted him to keep looking. She loved him as much as he loved her, but she wanted him to be happy, not doomed to a life of seeking something he couldnât have.
Serafina read the note once more as the cottage settled into a rolling gait. She was used to it now and even found it soothing, so it wasnât long before she dozed off with the parchment crumpled in her hand.
When the cottage finally stopped walking, it was in the middle of the woods near the site of an abandoned village. Serafina wondered what had happened to everyone, but she enjoyed the peace and quiet for a change. Over the next few days, only a few people found their way to the cottage, giving Serafina plenty of time to think about Alek. She would start a chore that didnât require any thought, like polishing the skulls or feeding the cat, and find herself thinking about the way Alek had teased her about baiting her hook with worms the last time they went fishing or the face heâd made when he tried a piece of cooked eel but ate it anyway just to be polite. She missed him so much that an empty spot inside her chest ached when she thought of him.
Serafina also thought about what she should write to him in her next letter.
After leaving her own letters in the hollow tree, she was on her way back to the cottage with the bouquet and Alekâs letter when she heard the clash of metal on metal and men shouting in the town. Turning to look, she saw men fighting farther down the street.
âGet inside!â shouted Boris.
âWhat is it?â she asked as she hurried to the gate.
âIt looks like the war has come here, too,â Krany said as soldiers on lathered horses raced past the cottage into town. âEvil spreads faster than good, like my grandmother used to say.â
The fighting was drawing closer when Serafina slipped inside the cottage and shut the door. âChicken hut, chicken hut, take me away from here!â she cried, and threw herself onto the bed.
A cup fell off the table and shattered when the cottage lurched from side to side. The shouting outdoors grew louder, and Serafina wondered if the men had seenthe cottage move. But then she forgot all about them as she opened the note from Alek.
My Darling Fina,
Someone took my last noteâI hope that it was you. I am placing another in the tree and will continue to put them there until the day we are together again. Please let me know that you have received my message.
I have learned more about Baba Yaga. An old woman told me that once in every generation, Baba Yaga must find her replacement. The old woman believes that because Baba Yaga sent for you, you are that replacement.
Everyone here is fine. I go to see your family often. Alina had her baby! It is a boy and they have named him Osip. When I held him the other day, he spit up all over me. He smiled and seemed very pleased with himself, but they told me it was just gas. Widow Zloto visits your parents every day. She tells us that she has befriended a poor hatmaker and is buying his hats to help him out. The hats are awful and she is wearing a new one every time I see her.
Do not despair, Fina. I am not going to give up! We will be together again! If there is a way to get you back, I am going to find it!
Love,
Alek
Tears blurred her eyes as Serafina read the note a second time, then a third. Alina had given birth to her baby! Serafina had promised to be there to help out, and now she didnât know if sheâd ever even see the little one. If only Sylanna had never sent her that letter!
As for Alek, sheâd always known that he was stubborn and she didnât doubt for an instant that he would keep looking for her no matter what. At first the knowledge that he cared so much for her made her feel warm and good inside, but then she began to wonder if she really wanted him to keep looking. She loved him as much as he loved her, but she wanted him to be happy, not doomed to a life of seeking something he couldnât have.
Serafina read the note once more as the cottage settled into a rolling gait. She was used to it now and even found it soothing, so it wasnât long before she dozed off with the parchment crumpled in her hand.
When the cottage finally stopped walking, it was in the middle of the woods near the site of an abandoned village. Serafina wondered what had happened to everyone, but she enjoyed the peace and quiet for a change. Over the next few days, only a few people found their way to the cottage, giving Serafina plenty of time to think about Alek. She would start a chore that didnât require any thought, like polishing the skulls or feeding the cat, and find herself thinking about the way Alek had teased her about baiting her hook with worms the last time they went fishing or the face heâd made when he tried a piece of cooked eel but ate it anyway just to be polite. She missed him so much that an empty spot inside her chest ached when she thought of him.
Serafina also thought about what she should write to him in her next letter.
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