dark hair and tanned skin. But the blue cold from outside drowned half his image in shadow. He stood by the door, tall against the chill east wind. From Elsa's perspective, she could see only a few feet outside her cabin onto the porch. There was nothing but silence, a pregnant pause someone might experience before a volcano explodes or tornado strikes. Scanning the snowy area before the tree line, Theo smelled the air for signs of his brother but came up with nothing.
“Theo, is there something the matter?”
And he stood there, motionless, staring into the snowy forest like a lion sniffing the air for the scent of an intruder. An invisible presence emerged from outside her cabin, terrifying Elsa, even more than the defensive amber glow of Theo's eyes.
“Is it him?”
“He's near. I know it.” The last thing Elsa remembered in her mind's eye was that she looked up and saw Theo standing at the open door. Then a white, two-headed serpent with ruby eyes slithered into the cabin, extinguishing the fire, and blowing a miniature tornado throughout the whole cabin. Elsa could feel the entire structure of the building rocking to and fro, as if the place wanted to spin around and over and up into the air. Plates, windows, kitchen tables, and cast irons flew through the air, loud and angry through the walls, shattering into millions of pieces. The last image Elsa remembers seeing was the striking him multiple times on his body--his arm, his face, his inner thigh. She was certain he was dead.
She woke up to her cabin and its possessions completely destroyed. She ran over to Theo's lifeless body. “Theo!” Elsa held his hand tight, feeling his soft, thick, and manly neck for a pulse. “Oh thank God, you're alive.” She kissed him on his lips, but he wouldn't wake up. She rubbed his cheek. “Theo please wake up. What's wrong? Tell me what happened!” He didn't respond. In fact, as she watched him in silence, knowing next to nothing about wizardry or witchcraft, she sank into despair, almost certain he had been cast into a spell. “Theo--wake up. I don't know what to do. You can't leave me! I don't know what to do!” Tears flowed down the corners of her cheeks, embarrassed for herself even though she was alone. She watched her lover lay there on the floor, silent. Another cold gust of wind swept through the innards of her cabin, disintegrating Theo into a pile of sand. Elsa's heart sank, as her one true love literally melted to dust and disappeared back into the forest from where he came. For a brief moment she had moments of happiness, and now some mysterious force ejected her from that dream--and plopped her right back into reality where she started. She lay in the floor weeping.
CHAPTER 16
“I am in love.”
Elsa stared straight ahead, at the wall, in Father O'Grady's office. After this grave and serious admission, Father O'Grady leaned back in his wooden chair, the weight of his tiny body making the only sound in the room. He rubbed his face, serious for a moment, in attempt to process the information.
“And does he return these feelings?” O'Grady asked.
“He does, and he told me so,” she said, ashamed she let out such a private moment in front of the minister, whom Elsa trusted but nevertheless felt naked and exposed by sharing the information, which was hers and hers alone to share. And she had no one else to turn to.
“Where is he?”
“He's gone. As I said, he did not commit the arson you speak of. His brother did, and I believe his brother took him away from me,” she said.
“If he's gone, are we not safe again?” he asked. “Does that not mean he's returned from whence he came? We should speak of this no more, then. Our problem has solved itself.”
“Father, his brother is angry, and he'll return.”
“What are we to do then?”
Elsa took a deep breath, before dropping the news of her plans to get Theo back. “I need your help in crossing over to the Forbidden
“Theo, is there something the matter?”
And he stood there, motionless, staring into the snowy forest like a lion sniffing the air for the scent of an intruder. An invisible presence emerged from outside her cabin, terrifying Elsa, even more than the defensive amber glow of Theo's eyes.
“Is it him?”
“He's near. I know it.” The last thing Elsa remembered in her mind's eye was that she looked up and saw Theo standing at the open door. Then a white, two-headed serpent with ruby eyes slithered into the cabin, extinguishing the fire, and blowing a miniature tornado throughout the whole cabin. Elsa could feel the entire structure of the building rocking to and fro, as if the place wanted to spin around and over and up into the air. Plates, windows, kitchen tables, and cast irons flew through the air, loud and angry through the walls, shattering into millions of pieces. The last image Elsa remembers seeing was the striking him multiple times on his body--his arm, his face, his inner thigh. She was certain he was dead.
She woke up to her cabin and its possessions completely destroyed. She ran over to Theo's lifeless body. “Theo!” Elsa held his hand tight, feeling his soft, thick, and manly neck for a pulse. “Oh thank God, you're alive.” She kissed him on his lips, but he wouldn't wake up. She rubbed his cheek. “Theo please wake up. What's wrong? Tell me what happened!” He didn't respond. In fact, as she watched him in silence, knowing next to nothing about wizardry or witchcraft, she sank into despair, almost certain he had been cast into a spell. “Theo--wake up. I don't know what to do. You can't leave me! I don't know what to do!” Tears flowed down the corners of her cheeks, embarrassed for herself even though she was alone. She watched her lover lay there on the floor, silent. Another cold gust of wind swept through the innards of her cabin, disintegrating Theo into a pile of sand. Elsa's heart sank, as her one true love literally melted to dust and disappeared back into the forest from where he came. For a brief moment she had moments of happiness, and now some mysterious force ejected her from that dream--and plopped her right back into reality where she started. She lay in the floor weeping.
CHAPTER 16
“I am in love.”
Elsa stared straight ahead, at the wall, in Father O'Grady's office. After this grave and serious admission, Father O'Grady leaned back in his wooden chair, the weight of his tiny body making the only sound in the room. He rubbed his face, serious for a moment, in attempt to process the information.
“And does he return these feelings?” O'Grady asked.
“He does, and he told me so,” she said, ashamed she let out such a private moment in front of the minister, whom Elsa trusted but nevertheless felt naked and exposed by sharing the information, which was hers and hers alone to share. And she had no one else to turn to.
“Where is he?”
“He's gone. As I said, he did not commit the arson you speak of. His brother did, and I believe his brother took him away from me,” she said.
“If he's gone, are we not safe again?” he asked. “Does that not mean he's returned from whence he came? We should speak of this no more, then. Our problem has solved itself.”
“Father, his brother is angry, and he'll return.”
“What are we to do then?”
Elsa took a deep breath, before dropping the news of her plans to get Theo back. “I need your help in crossing over to the Forbidden
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