The ending of my tagahanga fiction is here. I hope you enjoy it. I had no idea when I started this how it would work out or end. Thank you again to Bea for being my editor and always encouraging me. I appreciate it so much. To all of you, your comments always mean the world to me. Thank you!
When last we left the story...
Mavis lay motionless, Melvina rose up from the ground and all of them looked down on the limp body of a small, black bird which lay in the middle of the circle. Hugh dropped to his knees as if there was no force in the world strong enough to hold him up. A sound emanated from his body that was madami animal than it was human. It was a mix between grief and anger and anyone who heard it would have felt an intense pain in their very core. He covered his face with his hands and a tear managed to travel down his finger as it fell silently on the black mass of feathers below him......
Melvina looked down on the site before her and was unable to feel the happiness she longed for with Arthur standing once again beside her. She knew this wouldn’t be good. She also was unsure if all of her spells and magic together could bring Lisa back. To make matters worse, she had thrown a hell of a stunning charm at Mavis and she wasn’t even sure what the penalty was for that, but she was sure she would suffer greatly. She felt a hand take up hers suddenly and the warmth spread from her palm, up her arm and throughout her body. She looked over to see Arthur smiling at her through a rather concerned knit of the eyebrows. She gave him a weak and tense smile back and hated the fact that she couldn’t be madami joyful at a moment that should have filled her with the most intense happiness imaginable. Instead she also dropped to her knees and let go of Arthur’s hand to put her arm around Hugh. She had felt that sort of pain before and her puso went out to him. She contemplated her own part in this and guilt and grief struck her in a wave.
Across the sky a brilliant, intense light shot like a shooting bituin from right to left. Instead of dropping off, it curled up and around followed directly sa pamamagitan ng another, and then another. They lit the sky each with its own movement as they danced closer and closer. The closer the lights moved to the figures in the garden, the madami apparent it became that they indeed had a form. Melvina stood up and wiped the tear streaming down her cheek and followed the biggest, closest light with her eyes as it landed before them.
Five lights in all landed on the patch of damo in the center of the garden and surrounded the angel fountain.
There stood five figures all dressed from head to toe in black, flowing robes. There were three women and two men and each bore a distinctive hat. In the middle was a woman with long, gray hair and the tallest, grandest hat of all. She spoke first.
“Melvina Muirenn Blake you know, of course why we are here.”
Hugh sat stunned cradling Lisa’s small, broken body in his hands as he watched the proceedings before him. Perhaps he should have felt himself in danger, or even a tinge of fear. The events of the past couple of weeks had worn him out and he could feel nothing but intense exhaustion mixed with pain and sadness. He barely lifted his head as Melvina began to speak.
“Yes Danann, I realize why you are all here.” Melvina bowed her head with what seemed like a mix of respect and shame.
“What do you have to say for yourself then?” A man to the right of Danann spoke.
“It is not something I thought lightly of doing. In fact, I very much fell regret that I did not act sooner.”
“Sooner? You have immobilized your own sister and you know that using magic against another witch in such a way does in fact require us to hold you in judgment immediately.” One of the other women with a rather large nose spoke this time. She was short as she was round.
Melvina drew up strength within her and addressed the council again.
“Highest ones, I apologize for this but my dearest sister had acted against our creed and I believe that I allowed it to go on for far too long. She used magic against humans.”
The council turned and passed shocked looks between them.
“In what way Melvina?” Danann asked this.
“She took this man, Arthur Hogan and turned him to the form of a cat for these past two years. I would have been none the wiser but she then forced this man, and this…woman..” Melvina motioned towards Hugh’s hands which still held Lisa. “and forced them against their will to work in her garden. She used a binding spell and she forbid them to pass speech or touch between the two of them.”
The council again looked at one another and some rumblings could be heard between them.
“This is a serious charge Melvina. This could potentially result in your sister being locked away in Brickshod Prison for the rest of her natural life.” Danann spoke carefully as if she was considering each thing she sinabi before she sinabi it. It was obvious that this woman was used to speaking words which bore much weight.
“I know this Danann but really, it is my sincere regret that I did not call for you and that it amounted to this.” Melvina motioned towards the crumpled form of Mavis before the council. “As it is, Mavis turned Lisa, a human, into a bird who in her attempt to save me, was struck in the crossfire. I fear that the stun spell was too much for her.”
Melvina looked truly regretful.
Arthur carefully stepped towards Melvina and placed a hand on her back in a gesture of support.
Hugh was unable to sit still any longer. He stood up and spoke.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to say a word on behalf of Melvina.” Hugh spoke with heaviness and yet, he felt compelled to defend this woman who had done him no harm.
“We do not..um..normally take the words of a human into consideration in these matters.” It was the taller man speaking now. “But perhaps under the circumstances, it would be prudent to allow your testimony.”
“What she has told you is exactly correct. Melvina has had no part of this. It was all her sister Mavis. She has been nothing but kind to myself and…Lisa.” He spoke her name as he looked down at the bird in his hands whom had once been the beautiful, raven haired woman he had loved so very much.
The council stepped close together and began to deliberate. Hugh looked over at Melvina who seemed truly concerned about the outcome. Just then he noticed the very faint, soft heartbeat against his palm.
“Oh my god! She’s still alive!” he was yelling it to Melvina who had completely forgotten the tension of the moment. She moved towards him with a look of shock on her face. When she reached him she put her hand under his.
“Hugh, she is a strong girl, she took that bolt straight on. I think I can help her madami if she is in human form.” She looked up at him with a real glimmer of hope and compassion.
Although it pained him in a way to let her go, he gently lowered her back on to the ground. Melvina held her hands over Lisa and a bright, purple glow came from them again followed sa pamamagitan ng an intense white light. She mumbled words firmly in a language that Hugh could not have logically understood but yet he knew instinctively that they were healing words. As the bird body slowly dissipated, in its place lay Lisa, crumpled into a ball. As soon as she was fully solid, Hugh and Melvina both fell to their knees to attend to her.
“Hugh, she looks very weak, I don’t know if I can do enough for her.”
A very weak moan came from her. Neither Hugh nor Melvina had noticed the gathering of the council members around them. They were too caught up in their attempt to save Lisa.
“May I?” It was Danann who spoke. She pushed herself up closer to Lisa who was still ever so softly moaning. She held her hands out over Lisa, and the other council members followed her lead. From each pair of hands came a different light which washed over Lisa. The glow slowly softened and disappeared, as Lisa slowly rose up blinking her eyes and studying the faces around her. She reached her hand up and touched Hugh’s face as he smiled from ear to ear. Then he scooped her up in his arms into an embrace.
Melvina smiled at their happiness and then straightened up when her eyes met those of the council.
“Melvina dear, I think we have all seen here that your testimony as to what has occurred here was correct. It grieves me that Mavis used her gifts in such an unwise manner. We will be bringing her with us to Brickshod prison where she will remain for the rest of her days. You are absolved of any wrongdoing. We will leave you now to tend to your patients.”
Hugh, Lisa, Melvina and Arthur looked on as the council members each disappeared again as quickly as they had arrived back to the sky taking with them the still stunned Mavis. As the last light disappeared into the sky, the four stood in complete silence for what seemed like an endless moment. Hugh turned to Lisa, put his hands on either side of her face so he could see that spark of abundant life in her eyes again. Her lips opened to reveal a blinding smile that immediately put him at ease. He picked her up off the ground and held her tight with a hug that caused her to let out a giggle. She looked over his shoulder at Melvina and Arthur who were clinging to one another as well.
Once the celebration had died down and the sun started to rise, Hugh and Lisa decided it was time to say goodbye and return to their lives, the ones they had separate before and would most certainly have together now.
“Melvina, I thank you for saving us. I can never thank you enough.” Hugh grabbed her hands as he spoke. “Best of luck to you and to Spiri.. I mean, Arthur.” He shook Arthur’s hand.
Melvina hugged Lisa, “I am sorry we had to meet this way, but I really enjoyed talking with you Lisa. I wish for the best for you two. Would it be too much for you to come back and visit?”
“I would really like that.” Lisa hugged Melvina back and then she hugged Arthur.
“You poor thing, I bet it feels good not to chase after mice anymore.”
“It wasn’t so bad, at least I got to still be close to Melvina all of this time but I can’t thank you both enough for solving the little mystery of my identity.” Arthur fought back tears of happiness.
Hugh and Lisa left that araw to begin their new life together. Arthur and Melvina were married that fall with Hugh playing the piano at their ceremony, and Hugh and Lisa were married the following spring. Many nights were spent having friendly conversations in Melvina’s garden that had once been their prison. The couples grew close and when Hugh and Lisa were blessed with a beautiful, dark haired, blue eyed daughter with an amazing smile who held her Daddy’s puso in the palm of her little hand, who else but their paborito witch could be her Godmother.
We all know how fairytales end…
And they ALL lived Happily Ever After
When last we left the story...
Mavis lay motionless, Melvina rose up from the ground and all of them looked down on the limp body of a small, black bird which lay in the middle of the circle. Hugh dropped to his knees as if there was no force in the world strong enough to hold him up. A sound emanated from his body that was madami animal than it was human. It was a mix between grief and anger and anyone who heard it would have felt an intense pain in their very core. He covered his face with his hands and a tear managed to travel down his finger as it fell silently on the black mass of feathers below him......
Melvina looked down on the site before her and was unable to feel the happiness she longed for with Arthur standing once again beside her. She knew this wouldn’t be good. She also was unsure if all of her spells and magic together could bring Lisa back. To make matters worse, she had thrown a hell of a stunning charm at Mavis and she wasn’t even sure what the penalty was for that, but she was sure she would suffer greatly. She felt a hand take up hers suddenly and the warmth spread from her palm, up her arm and throughout her body. She looked over to see Arthur smiling at her through a rather concerned knit of the eyebrows. She gave him a weak and tense smile back and hated the fact that she couldn’t be madami joyful at a moment that should have filled her with the most intense happiness imaginable. Instead she also dropped to her knees and let go of Arthur’s hand to put her arm around Hugh. She had felt that sort of pain before and her puso went out to him. She contemplated her own part in this and guilt and grief struck her in a wave.
Across the sky a brilliant, intense light shot like a shooting bituin from right to left. Instead of dropping off, it curled up and around followed directly sa pamamagitan ng another, and then another. They lit the sky each with its own movement as they danced closer and closer. The closer the lights moved to the figures in the garden, the madami apparent it became that they indeed had a form. Melvina stood up and wiped the tear streaming down her cheek and followed the biggest, closest light with her eyes as it landed before them.
Five lights in all landed on the patch of damo in the center of the garden and surrounded the angel fountain.
There stood five figures all dressed from head to toe in black, flowing robes. There were three women and two men and each bore a distinctive hat. In the middle was a woman with long, gray hair and the tallest, grandest hat of all. She spoke first.
“Melvina Muirenn Blake you know, of course why we are here.”
Hugh sat stunned cradling Lisa’s small, broken body in his hands as he watched the proceedings before him. Perhaps he should have felt himself in danger, or even a tinge of fear. The events of the past couple of weeks had worn him out and he could feel nothing but intense exhaustion mixed with pain and sadness. He barely lifted his head as Melvina began to speak.
“Yes Danann, I realize why you are all here.” Melvina bowed her head with what seemed like a mix of respect and shame.
“What do you have to say for yourself then?” A man to the right of Danann spoke.
“It is not something I thought lightly of doing. In fact, I very much fell regret that I did not act sooner.”
“Sooner? You have immobilized your own sister and you know that using magic against another witch in such a way does in fact require us to hold you in judgment immediately.” One of the other women with a rather large nose spoke this time. She was short as she was round.
Melvina drew up strength within her and addressed the council again.
“Highest ones, I apologize for this but my dearest sister had acted against our creed and I believe that I allowed it to go on for far too long. She used magic against humans.”
The council turned and passed shocked looks between them.
“In what way Melvina?” Danann asked this.
“She took this man, Arthur Hogan and turned him to the form of a cat for these past two years. I would have been none the wiser but she then forced this man, and this…woman..” Melvina motioned towards Hugh’s hands which still held Lisa. “and forced them against their will to work in her garden. She used a binding spell and she forbid them to pass speech or touch between the two of them.”
The council again looked at one another and some rumblings could be heard between them.
“This is a serious charge Melvina. This could potentially result in your sister being locked away in Brickshod Prison for the rest of her natural life.” Danann spoke carefully as if she was considering each thing she sinabi before she sinabi it. It was obvious that this woman was used to speaking words which bore much weight.
“I know this Danann but really, it is my sincere regret that I did not call for you and that it amounted to this.” Melvina motioned towards the crumpled form of Mavis before the council. “As it is, Mavis turned Lisa, a human, into a bird who in her attempt to save me, was struck in the crossfire. I fear that the stun spell was too much for her.”
Melvina looked truly regretful.
Arthur carefully stepped towards Melvina and placed a hand on her back in a gesture of support.
Hugh was unable to sit still any longer. He stood up and spoke.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to say a word on behalf of Melvina.” Hugh spoke with heaviness and yet, he felt compelled to defend this woman who had done him no harm.
“We do not..um..normally take the words of a human into consideration in these matters.” It was the taller man speaking now. “But perhaps under the circumstances, it would be prudent to allow your testimony.”
“What she has told you is exactly correct. Melvina has had no part of this. It was all her sister Mavis. She has been nothing but kind to myself and…Lisa.” He spoke her name as he looked down at the bird in his hands whom had once been the beautiful, raven haired woman he had loved so very much.
The council stepped close together and began to deliberate. Hugh looked over at Melvina who seemed truly concerned about the outcome. Just then he noticed the very faint, soft heartbeat against his palm.
“Oh my god! She’s still alive!” he was yelling it to Melvina who had completely forgotten the tension of the moment. She moved towards him with a look of shock on her face. When she reached him she put her hand under his.
“Hugh, she is a strong girl, she took that bolt straight on. I think I can help her madami if she is in human form.” She looked up at him with a real glimmer of hope and compassion.
Although it pained him in a way to let her go, he gently lowered her back on to the ground. Melvina held her hands over Lisa and a bright, purple glow came from them again followed sa pamamagitan ng an intense white light. She mumbled words firmly in a language that Hugh could not have logically understood but yet he knew instinctively that they were healing words. As the bird body slowly dissipated, in its place lay Lisa, crumpled into a ball. As soon as she was fully solid, Hugh and Melvina both fell to their knees to attend to her.
“Hugh, she looks very weak, I don’t know if I can do enough for her.”
A very weak moan came from her. Neither Hugh nor Melvina had noticed the gathering of the council members around them. They were too caught up in their attempt to save Lisa.
“May I?” It was Danann who spoke. She pushed herself up closer to Lisa who was still ever so softly moaning. She held her hands out over Lisa, and the other council members followed her lead. From each pair of hands came a different light which washed over Lisa. The glow slowly softened and disappeared, as Lisa slowly rose up blinking her eyes and studying the faces around her. She reached her hand up and touched Hugh’s face as he smiled from ear to ear. Then he scooped her up in his arms into an embrace.
Melvina smiled at their happiness and then straightened up when her eyes met those of the council.
“Melvina dear, I think we have all seen here that your testimony as to what has occurred here was correct. It grieves me that Mavis used her gifts in such an unwise manner. We will be bringing her with us to Brickshod prison where she will remain for the rest of her days. You are absolved of any wrongdoing. We will leave you now to tend to your patients.”
Hugh, Lisa, Melvina and Arthur looked on as the council members each disappeared again as quickly as they had arrived back to the sky taking with them the still stunned Mavis. As the last light disappeared into the sky, the four stood in complete silence for what seemed like an endless moment. Hugh turned to Lisa, put his hands on either side of her face so he could see that spark of abundant life in her eyes again. Her lips opened to reveal a blinding smile that immediately put him at ease. He picked her up off the ground and held her tight with a hug that caused her to let out a giggle. She looked over his shoulder at Melvina and Arthur who were clinging to one another as well.
Once the celebration had died down and the sun started to rise, Hugh and Lisa decided it was time to say goodbye and return to their lives, the ones they had separate before and would most certainly have together now.
“Melvina, I thank you for saving us. I can never thank you enough.” Hugh grabbed her hands as he spoke. “Best of luck to you and to Spiri.. I mean, Arthur.” He shook Arthur’s hand.
Melvina hugged Lisa, “I am sorry we had to meet this way, but I really enjoyed talking with you Lisa. I wish for the best for you two. Would it be too much for you to come back and visit?”
“I would really like that.” Lisa hugged Melvina back and then she hugged Arthur.
“You poor thing, I bet it feels good not to chase after mice anymore.”
“It wasn’t so bad, at least I got to still be close to Melvina all of this time but I can’t thank you both enough for solving the little mystery of my identity.” Arthur fought back tears of happiness.
Hugh and Lisa left that araw to begin their new life together. Arthur and Melvina were married that fall with Hugh playing the piano at their ceremony, and Hugh and Lisa were married the following spring. Many nights were spent having friendly conversations in Melvina’s garden that had once been their prison. The couples grew close and when Hugh and Lisa were blessed with a beautiful, dark haired, blue eyed daughter with an amazing smile who held her Daddy’s puso in the palm of her little hand, who else but their paborito witch could be her Godmother.
We all know how fairytales end…
And they ALL lived Happily Ever After
