Chapter 8 - Storm's a Brewin'
A loud crack rippled through the sky, and a flash of light, and then a booming roar that shook the cottage and woke Hollie from her sleep. The mechanical clock at her bedside read 4:32 in the morning. Outside the sky was black as midnight. Wind howled through the trees, lashing branches about and flailing leaves wildly through the air. Rain pelted the window angrily. Another flash illuminated the sky, followed by another peel of thunder.
There would be no going back to sleep now. And if this continued, no trip into the woods to find the Spotted Redcaps.
Hollie muttered a frustrated curse under her breath. She had to find the Redcaps, and soon!
She thought of the sick little Redcap sitting in her palm, looking at her with such sad, forlorn eyes. It needed help, desperately. And sooner rather than later.
Darn this storm!
Hollie pulled the covers off and walked to the window, peering out at the tempest. Surely such a storm would pass quickly. Thunderstorms didn’t usually rage all day and all night, did they?
Back home…
An image flashed in her mind. Trees. Tall trees. Nothing like the ones in the forest here. Trees without branches that stretched up to the sky, and long broad leaves that looked like sails.
Palm trees!
Palm trees flailing in the wind, their leaves ripped from their crowns and their spindly trunks bowing to the force of the gale. And then, as quickly as the image had appeared, it fled. And so had the name. She hit her head with her palms and groaned.
“Why can’t I remember anything more than my name? Why can’t I remember where I’m from? Where I was before I came here?”
She exhaled and remembered the words in the letter.
You are connected to this world in a way you cannot yet fathom, and in a way that I myself am not fully aware. However, completing this quest may help you to understand who you truly are and where you came from.
“I want answers!” she said aloud. “And now! Not later. Not after some godforsaken quest, or whatever it is! Who knows how long that’ll take? And why should finding any lost books or filling out the map of this place bring me any answers?”
Hollie was angry. It was the first time she could recall ever feeling angry in this place. Even in those brief moments before when she’d wondered about her past, Spritespring Hollow had been quick to pacify any fears or doubts or worries. The cottage, the woods, everything had been so wonderful that she somehow hadn’t minded that she had no answers.
Another roll of thunder shook the cottage.
Maybe it was just the lack of sleep and her upended plans and the raging weather that had soured her mood. She walked to the table at her bedside and lit a candle. That singular, small little light seemed to warm and brighten the room, chasing away all of Hollie’s worries and frustrations. The simple comfort of the candlelight as the storm raged on outside was enough to set everything right again.
She was thankful for this place, however it was she came to be here. However long it took her to get answers, she was going to make the most of her time in Spritespring Hollow. And today, that meant gathering Spotted Redcaps, even if a storm was raging.
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Hollie spent the early morning hours in the kitchen. She whipped up a [Simple Hearty Breakfast] and, trying to wait out the storm a bit longer, decided to try her hand at making [Scones]. It was something she’d never made before, but she didn’t think it would be too hard to figure out. She mixed together flour and baking powder, butter and sugar, a bit of milk and vanilla, and a beaten egg to glaze.
There was a cutter among the cooking utensils, and she used it to form the shapes of the scones from the dough she’d worked, then placed them on a baking tray and slid them into the oven. Ten minutes later, they were finished. They’d risen nicely and had a rich, golden sheen on their tops.
She set the kettle on and made herself a cup of hot tea, and when that was ready, she opened up one of the scones and spread it with clotted cream and strawberry jam and took a bite. Crumbly, sweet, and buttery, it was absolutely marvelous, the perfect, comforting treat to have on such a dreary, stormy morning.
There was a chime and the Cookbook began to glow.
Recipe: Scones
Ingredients: 1 unit of flour, 1 unit of butter, 1 unit of baking soda, 1 unit of sugar, 1 egg, 1 unit of milk, 1 unit of vanilla (optional: 1 unit of clotted cream, 1 unit of jam)
Health Restored: 5
Energy Restored: 5
Scones [https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53848434923_dc6a4ed8f2_b.jpg]
And then the announcement of more progress made.
[Cottager XP Gained: 5,
Points Needed for Next Level: 35]
It was just the encouragement Hollie needed to clean up the kitchen—she didn’t want to waste any [Magic] today in case she needed it out in the woods, though she didn’t exactly know how to use it—and get her traveling clothes on.
She filled her backpack with all of her essentials, then pulled the hood of her cloak over her hair and headed out the front door.
The rain had refused to let up. It still fell heavy and relentless. All the grass and leaf litter was a soggy, sopping mess. Everywhere Hollie stepped, her feet landed in a soupy mix of mud and water and leaves. And while it wasn’t exactly a wintry sort of cold, the lashing wind mixed with the dampness of the rain to make it uncomfortably chilly. Hollie was thankful for her thick, woolen cloak that kept the rain from soaking her all the way through.
The early morning sun had risen, though its normally bright and cheery rays were hidden behind the clouds, leaving only the bleakest light to peek through. It was the perfect sort of weather to be enjoyed within the warmth and comfort of the cottage, curled up under a blanket in the arm chair with a scone and a cup of hot tea, and peering out the latticed window at the woods as the rhythm of the rain lulled her to sleep.
Another time.
Today Hollie was on a mission. Rain or shine, wet or dry. She was going to find the Spotted Redcaps and bring them to Mr. Grimsworth the next morning.
A loud crack sounded. There was a flash of light, then a boom so deafening that Hollie’s ears rang. She clamped her hands over her ears and screamed, startled, dropping the wicker basket and her compass onto the ground. When the sound subsided, she found herself shaking. Her knees felt so unsteady she could barely stand.
What was she thinking, coming out here in something like this? She looked behind, back toward the cottage. She’d trekked far enough into the woods that she could no longer see the golden glow of light in the windows, or the puffs of smoke billowing up from the chimney. But she hadn’t come too far. She could easily turn back now and be back within the safety of her walls long before lunch.
Did she really want to be out here in all this? And more importantly, did she even have the skills it took to trek through the forest in such stormy weather?
But she couldn’t shake the sick little Redcap from her mind. It needed her. She may be foolish for trying, and she may end up regretting it later, but she needed to continue on. For Hollie, it was the only real choice she had.
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Hollie found the first Redcap about half an hour later. It was a vibrant spot of red amongst the sodden leaf litter and mud and the winding brown roots of the beech tree it sheltered under. Only now that Hollie had seen one up close could she tell that it wasn’t an ordinary mushroom.
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She approached it slowly, shuffling her feet as quietly as possible so as not to disturb it and give it any hint of her nearness. The steady plodding of the rain helped.
Her basket open and ready, she stooped down quickly and clasped two gloved hands around the creature. She felt it squirm between her fingers, squealing in protest and fighting to get away.
“I’m sorry,” Hollie apologized as she placed the little creature into the safety of the wicker basket. “I’m not here to hurt you. And I’ll bring you back soon. I promise! But one of your kind is hurt and needs your help.”
She pulled a few blackberries from her pocket and tossed them into the basket. Though it was still angry, the Spotted Redcap seemed momentarily appeased by the offering, and soon its cries quieted.
“That’s a good fellow,” she encouraged as she secured the lid on the basket.
A trumpet sounded, and bright words illuminated the the rain-sodden woods. Hollie felt the familiar surge of energy flood her body with a welcome warmth.
[New Skill: Wilderness Survival - Specialty: Hunting/Trapping
Level: 1
Perk: Materials harvested by Hunting/Trapping increased by 25%]
[Ranger XP Gained: 10,
Points Needed for Next Level: 70]
The announcement steeled Hollie’s resolve to continue on.
But as she marched on, so did the rain. She hadn’t imagined it was possible for a storm as strong as this one to last as long as it had, but it showed no sign of letting up. It was as if it were aware of her and determined to do everything in its power to make her quit.
Though her cloak had kept the rain off her clothes well enough, the water had seeped into her boots. Her feet were cold and wet and uncomfortable, and she could feel the beginnings of blisters forming. She thought of the mission with which she would eventually be charged—exploring and mapping all of Balnochy—and wondered if she would be up to the task.
[Cottager] skills she could do. Cooking, gardening, growing flowers and herbs, putting her own touches on the cottage. Even if she had to learn the skills, she could pick them up easily—and safely—enough. But all of this venturing out in the cold and wet… If this was a challenge, no more than a couple miles from home, she didn’t know how she’d ever last more than a few days out on the open road. She’d have to forage for food—not knowing what was edible and what, if eaten, might make her drop dead—build a fire, find safe places to camp, and ward off who knows what sort of creatures that roamed about the wilderness. What if she got sick, or ran out of food or fresh water? What if she fell prey to brigands? Or an evil witch or wizard? What if she was cornered by a pack of hungry wolves?
And as she was forming that last thought in her head, a sound pierced the air that wasn’t rain or thunder or even the crack of lightning. It was the long, sonorous howl of a wolf. Hollie froze where she stood.
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It took Hollie several moments before the chill that had shot through her spine and froze her feet to the ground subsided and she found herself able to move again.
Everything in Spritespring Hollow so far had been so pleasant and so peaceful that she hadn’t even considered for a moment that she might actually find herself in danger so close to the cottage. Sure, she was in the woods, but they had only ever felt magical, not wild. And certainly not threatening. But now…
She shuddered at the thought of finding herself face to face with a pack of snarling wolves. Or even a lone wolf. She remembered hearing once, though she couldn’t recall where, that lone wolves were even more dangerous. They didn’t have the safety of the pack and the food security that came with it. Lone wolves were starved, ravenous, and ready to pounce on anything they could clamp their jaws around and wouldn’t put up too much of a fight.
Like herself.
She picked up the wicker basket and peeked inside at the Spotted Redcap. It had made itself quiet and still, hiding its little face beneath its crimson top. No doubt it had been as scared as she was.
Hollie wanted nothing more than to call it a day and head back to the cottage, but Mr. Grimsworth had asked for three Spotted Redcaps, not one, and she was determined not to fail him—no matter how scared or how miserable she might be.
“It won’t be much longer,” she tried to reassure the tiny creature. “And that wolf sounded really far away if you ask me.”
But her own words left her unconvinced. After all, she wasn’t used to roaming around in the forest on her own—and in the middle of a great, terrifying storm at that! Sound traveled differently in the great outdoors, and she wasn’t so sure that she could accurately tell just how far away, or even in what direction, the howl had come from.
“Let’s continue on, shall we? We’ve got to find you some company.”
And with that, she walked on, anxious but determined.
Another half hour passed, and the rain began to lighten up the slightest bit. No longer was it a relentless torrent, heaving this way and that whenever the wind gusted. It was still steady, but growing tired. Like a toddler who’d thrown a temper tantrum for so long that it began to wear itself out and would soon doze off in a peaceful slumber while its parents were left picking up the mess it had made.
The rain would be coming to an end, sooner rather than later. Hollie could feel it.
A crack of lightning lit the sky with strobing white light, and in that brief moment of reprieve from the gloomy darkness, Hollie spotted another Redcap nestled against a great, shady beech. Thunder rippled through the air, so loud that for a moment she couldn’t hear a thing.
She set her wicker basket down and inched her way to the tree. All was dark and gray again, and her ears still rang from the thunder. When she stretched out her hands to pick up the red cap, another sound caught her attention and she froze.
It wasn’t a howl this time, long and lonely and far away. It was a low, rumbling growl, threatening and heavy. And it was close. Too close.
She listened closely. She could hear breathing now too. And the heavy thud of footfall on the wet leaf litter of the forest floor. It was coming from behind her. Slowly she turned her head, her heart racing and the pit in her stomach growing heavier with each passing second.
Hollie was scared to look. Deep down she knew the wolf had found her, but if she could close her eyes, she could pretend, at least for a few moments more, that it hadn’t seen her. If there was ever a time for her to wake up and realize that Spritespring Hollow had been nothing more than a dream, it was now. Hollie took a deep breath, steeled herself for the inevitable, and opened her eyes.
There was indeed a wolf standing before her. It was larger than any wolf had a right to be. And it was angry. Its teeth were bared and its snout was wrinkled in a snarl. But it seemed to glow. It looked as if its white-gray fur had absorbed all the light and power that the storm had hurled down in furious bolts. Its eyes were white. And the more closely Hollie listened, the more the creature’s rumbling growl sounded like the thunder itself.
Wolf [https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53847284657_3356c0023c_z.jpg]
For a brief moment, Hollie had the feeling she’d been here before, faced the same powerful beast with all its hate and anger glaring straight at her. And then that feeling was gone.
The wolf growled louder, then bent low, priming itself to strike. Hollie shielded her face with her arms and screamed. Suddenly the woods were lit with a bright, golden light. The growling stopped and Hollie looked up.
It wasn’t one light, but dozens, swirling all about her like a cyclone. Soon more joined them from the tree tops and converged over the wolf, lashing out against it like an army of fireflies. The wolf bared its teeth and snarled, but whatever the lights were doing to it soon had it cowed. With a painful yelp, it left Hollie and raced back through the woods, a good number of the lights chasing after it until Hollie could see them no more.
Will O Wisps [https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53848529999_f23a9bf56d_c.jpg]
When the wolf had gone, the lights surrounding Hollie flashed out, one at a time, as if some invisible person had strolled through the woods putting out one candle after the other. She was left alone in the gray, rainy woods as if nothing had ever been there but her and the Spotted Redcap in the wicker basket. What had she just experienced? Was it magic? Some sort of protective spell the forest had placed over her? Or were the lights creatures of some sort? And if so, why had they bothered to come to her aid?
All of these questions raced through her mind as she sat crouched against the tree catching her breath. Whatever they were, they had been absolutely beautiful! Hollie felt a warm tear drop roll down her cheek. It wasn’t from fear, or even her near brush with death. It was the beauty of all the lights, setting the forest aglow as if all the stars in the heavens had come down from their thrones on high to grace the world below.
She exhaled and looked around her, noticing the Spotted Redcap in the crook of the tree roots just a few feet away. In all the excitement she had forgotten why she was here. Quietly she reached for the little creature and took it in her hands. It squirmed like the last one until she dropped it in the basket and tossed in a few more black berries.
Upon seeing the first Redcap, the second one stopped its protests and began to squeak eagerly in what must have been the Redcap language. The first soon joined in and Hollie closed the basket lid, relieved that they seemed to be getting along.
She stood up, brushed the leaves and dirt from her shaking knees, and slung her backpack over her shoulder. In the distance sounded the familiar howl of the wolf. Her blood went cold as ice at the noise.
It must have been far off now, but whatever the lights were, they had gone, and she worried that the wolf might return, even angrier than before.
Mr. Grimsworth had wanted her to get three Spotted Redcaps, but Hollie didn’t think staying in the forest much longer would be wise. She’d tried her best, and it had nearly cost her life. Two Redcaps would have to do, and that was that.
Hollie pulled the compass from her pack and set off toward home. She wasn’t exactly sure just how far she’d come, but when she reached the cottage, she’d be able to pull out the map and know for certain.
The wolf howled again, still distant, but Hollie picked up her pace and tried her best not to stumble over hidden tree roots or slip on wet leaves. She pictured the cottage, its glowing windows, smoke from the fireplace puffing away with the promise of warmth, and the scones she’d baked earlier waiting for her in the kitchen.
She could make it.
She would make it.
The rain began to lighten up even more, and the gray clouds that had hidden the sunlight started to thin. With that little bit of light, Hollie felt braver, more sure of herself.
It wasn’t much longer until the trees began to space out, and soon Hollie could make out the little stream, bubbling with all the rain, and then the fence that surrounded her back garden. And then she’d reached the clearing, and the rain had stopped, and above, the sun peeked out cheerily from behind a small, puffy cloud.
Cottage [https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53848529974_098f0390a3_b.jpg]
Wet and exhausted and relieved, she fell to the ground and laughed, her smile so big and so wide that it hurt. But she didn’t care because it felt so good to be alive. To be safe and out of the woods.
She turned her head back to the forest and frowned. After what had happened, she didn’t ever want to go back in. She’d thought this world had been a paradise. That as perfect as everything had been, she wouldn’t ever find herself in any real danger. But now she knew that wasn’t true. She wasn’t as safe here as she’d thought.
And yet, if she wanted answers, wanted to know where she had come from or how to get back, it was only a matter of time before she’d have to venture out into the wilds again and face whatever dangers awaited her.
It wasn’t a pleasant thought, and all Hollie wanted now was to think of pleasant things.
She sat up, brushed the wet grass from her hair and clothes, grabbed the basket and made her way inside the cottage. For now at least she was safe.