As Tom was walking through the western garden, he heard light footsteps not far behind him. He craned his head but no one was visible between the withy trees. As he turned back the way he was going, the footsteps got faster and faster until the person's footsteps sounded as if they were running. Tom started to sprint back towards the Spook's house to the north-east of Chipenden. Up ahead he could just see the roof of the house. He looked back behind him but the footsteps had ceased. He didn't slow down for a second. As he turned around, he saw a dark figure running straight at him. His face dropped as he skidded to a halt a few metres from the house. The figure reached him in seconds and pushed him to the ground, clamping his mouth with their hand. Their eyes glittered in the light as Tom gazed up into them.
'I win again.' said the voice in Tom's ear. The voice sounded high and twinkly, like a girl's voice.
'But you cheated, Oksana! You with your pointy shoes.' He said eyeing them.
'You say that, but you love me!' she said with a giggle.
Alice had been seriously injured in a fight with Mab Mouldheel about a year or so earlier. She was so badly hurt that she had died in her sleep. She was weak and hadn't much strength left. Tom didn't have enough herbs to make her an elixir. Tom and the Spook had been passing through Bareleigh and caught up with Agnes Sowerbutts, Alice's aunt. As they were coming back from Bareleigh after filling Agnes in, they heard a twinkling of bells behind them to their right. They turned and saw a girl asleep on a rocking chair with the twinkling bells above her head. She was beautiful. She had long blonde hair and long eyelashes. She looked like an angel that had made home on earth from heaven.
Tom was in a daydream when Oksana was clapping to get his attention just in front of his face.
'Hello?' she said while waving her hands.
'Oh… What?' he said after the trance of daydream had gone.
She sat in front of him in the long grass, smiling at him. He stared deep into her eyes and fell into a trance again.
'Time to go back to the house for breakfast! Beat you back!'
Oksana had already sprinted off at top speed, while Tom was still star struck on the grass.
'Hey! You cheated again!' he yelled when he figured out that she had already gone off without him.
All Tom heard ahead of him was the soft tinkle of Oksana's giggles. He walked in through the gate but before he could take one step more, he heard a high pitched squeal. Tom ran around the corner where he had heard the scream from. His eyes bulged when he saw Oksana trying to hit the Spook's boggart with the broom.
'Get off me! Stop pulling on my dress, you retched creature!'
'What's wrong?'
'The bloody boggart was trying to eat me!' she said between gasps of breath.
'Oh, is that what it is.'
Oksana stood with the broom still held out at arm's length looking around carefully for the boggart.
'It's not here anymore, Oksana. It's gone inside to make us breakfast.'
Oksana slowly put the broom down , still watching around her just in case the boggart came back to chew on her dress. The broom had been placed on the grass and Oksana had been shaken up. Tom walked over to her and she ran to him for comfort.
'It's alright. At least it didn't actually eat you.'
Oksana had clamped herself to Tom. He was struggling to breathe.
'Oksana, loosen your hold please. I'm finding it hard to breathe.'
'Oh, sorry.' She said. Oksana slowly loosened her hold on his chest.
'Thank you. Breakfast now?'
'Yeah.'
They walked hand in hand to get some breakfast.
'Morning all!' said the Spook, who had been up watching Oksana through the window when she had gotten attacked by his boggart.
'Morning. What's with the enthusiasm?' Tom asked curiously.
'Oh, I don't know. He turned and gave Oksana a stern look.
'Why did you try to hit MY boggart?' he asked Oksana who was badly shaken.
'It attacked me! What, did you want it to maul me to death?'
'You could have just yelled at it.' he said, looking up from his hot drink.
She gave him the death stare, then smiled and rolled her eyes.
'It's dangerous! It could kill me in my sleep…'
'I very highly doubt that, Oksana.' He said with a deep chuckle.
'Maybe we should dig it a pit?'
Suddenly, the fire intensified to triple its size and began to throw embers around the house.
'Maybe, you shouldn't have said that.'
'Good idea!' she said over the noise of the fire.
The fire slowly started to lower.
'Maybe we should walk to the western garden and talk there? That way Oksana can come with us so that your boggart doesn't "eat" her.' Tom had said while Oksana held him again.
They began to walk towards the western garden and started discussing the topic of the spook's boggart.
'I think it would be a great idea to put the boggart in a pit.' Oksana said.
'I'm actually started to drift the same way. The Spook said.
'It's getting on my nerves. This is the third time this week that it has burned out food. It's wasting our provisions. We need to collect them from the village more often. I think it's time that my boggart is put in a pit. As much a help it is, it's out of control.'
'I agree. It's costing us a lot more money for the provisions because we need to collect more every so often. Maybe we should look for another boggart to take this boggart's place? If you want it in a pit so badly, I'll get started on it right away.' Tom spoke in just above a whisper.
'We can all go to the village now so we can get a proper breakfast that isn't burnt to a crisp. After that, we will come back and get started on that pit.' He said eyeing Tom.
They nodded in agreement and set in motion for the village. Tom and The spook leading with Oksana close on their heels.
They strolled over the bridge and out towards the houses to a little wooden cottage. The Spook went up to the door and knocked loudly.
'Who is it?' a small voice came from inside the cottage.
'My name is John Gregory. I am the local Spook in the county. We met a few years back. I saved your life and you said you owed me. So today I am here to accept that. After you have done this, we are equal and I will not bother you again.'
The door slowly opened and an old fragile woman came out with long silver hair that travelled down her back in wisps. She looked at the Spook, nodded and welcomed them inside.
'I am Lucille. What are you after, Mr. Gregory? And who are these children?' she asked with a smile.
'We are in need of a good breakfast. My boggart is burning our food and we have decided to put it in a pit. By the way, this is Tom my apprentice and his 'Girlfriend' Oksana' he said with a smirk.
Tom glared at him with a grin, then bent over and kissed Oksana on the cheek. All three of them entered the house and sat down on the sofa which was offered as a comfort from Lucille. Oksana didn't feel very at home, so she clamped herself to Tom. He held her tight until she fell asleep clenching his t-shirt in her fist. She was breathing on his neck and the heartbeat that pounded in her chest was normal and soothing. And soon, Tom fell asleep with Oksana held in his arms.
About an hour later, Tom was woken by a soft kiss on his lips and a whispering in his ear.
'I love you, Thomas Ward.' came the voice.
Tom slowly opened his eyes to see Oksana walking towards the door. She looked back at him and realized he was awake. She ran to his side and hugged him tight.
'I was just going to get some air by the bridge. Would you like to come with me?' she stared right into his eyes. He nodded.
'I will just write a note to the spook, just in case he tries to find us while we're gone.' He stared right back into her eyes and gave her a little smile.
Dear Mr. Gregory,
Oksana and I have gone down to the bridge to get some air together. We will be back soon. If you need us, come get us.
Your apprentice,
Thomas J. Ward
They held each other's hands and opened the door quietly to go down to the bridge. When they reached the bridge, Oksana lead the way down under it.
'Why did you bring me down here, Oksana?' Tom asked with a glint of sadness in his eyes.
'I bought you down here because I wanted to show you something.' She said looking at her pointy shoes.
'What is it? What's wrong?'
'All I wanted to say is that… I love you.' She said staring deep into his eyes.
Tom smiled and held her waist.
'I love you too, Oksana.'
Oksana stood on her tip-toes and held his face in her hands. She leaned forward and kissed him softly on his lips.
A while later, the spook came down to the bridge calling them in his gruff voice.
'Oksana? Tom? Lucille is making breakfast!'
Both Tom and Oksana ran quickly up to the top of the bridge.
'What in the world were you two doing?' he asked staring at the grass that rested upon their clothes.
'Uhhhh…' They looked at each other wearily, and then looked back at the spook who was still eyeing them. Oksana hung her head in shame. The spook nodded and smiled.
'Oh, you dog! Way to go! You got yourself a girlfriend!' he said chuckling.
Tom looked at him wide eyed. Oksana pulled Tom into a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek. They all walked back to Lucille's house and had the breakfast that she had provided. Before they left the cottage, the spook thanked Lucille and then they strolled down to the bridge. Tom and Oksana were walking hand in hand and staring into each other's eyes. The spook eyed them.
'You're not going to… you know… at my house, are you?' He asked wearily.
Tom looked at him confused. He got the drift after a few moments.
'Oh! No, no, no! No! Don't worry about that!'
Tom was now 15 and the spook was getting worried about him. They'd already had 'The Talk'. The Spook had to tell him because both Tom's parents weren't around. His dad had passed away in his first year of becoming the spook's apprentice and his mam had moved back to her home land after Tom's dad died but came back to ask Tom for help against the Ordeen back in Greece. The Ordeen was an ancient goddess that, every seven years, would visit from her portal to Greece to feast on the Greek population to quench her thirst for blood. Tom had found out that his mam was Lamia, the first Lamia witch who created three others who went on to create more. Mam and The Ordeen were trapped in the portal and disappeared forever, never to be seen again.
The Spook, Oksana and Tom walked back towards the spook's house to bind the boggart. When they got to the front gate, they heard a rumbling growl which made the ground beneath them shake and vibrate wildly.
The spook stopped dead.
'It's only me, John Gregory!' He screamed directly at the gate.
A few seconds later, they heard a distant voice. This reminded Tom of the Fiend. Tom eyed the gate nervously. Suddenly, they all saw a giant ginger cat which jumped onto the gate. They all stared at its big grin.
'What do you want?' the ginger cat's mouth was moving and the voice was coming out of it.
'You have been burning our food. Why?'
The cat looked straight at Oksana.
'She is the reason. She is a witch and you have bought her in your house.'
'She is not a witch! She wears pointy shoes because they are the only shoes she has!' Tom screamed.
'Oh, my boy. I know you love her but she IS a witch, I can sense it.'
'You're wrong! That was Alice but she died!'
The spook had made his way to Tom's side.
'Go! With Oksana, to the garden near the other witches and boggarts! Dig a deep hole and line it with the salt and iron like I told you! Make it quick, because I will lead it out to you and then we'll bind it. Do you have your Silver chain?' he whispered in his ear.
'Yeah. I have it. It's right…' He was about to pull it from his sleeve but the spook stopped him.
'Don't! It will kill us!' he said in a loud whispered.
Tom put the silver chain back into hiding. Oksana had already been told and she pulled Tom's sleeve to signal him to leave. They ran to where the other witches and boggarts had been bound and started digging under a nice tree with winding roots that reached deep into the earth. Tom dug and dug until he had a very deep hole and had lined it with the salt and iron solution the spook had given him. A few minutes later, they heard the thumping of running footsteps of the spook.
'Run! Hide!' he yelled.
They all ran and hid in a tree. The boggart not far behind.
'John Gregory better come out or I'll kill people!'
The spook looked at Tom with wide nervous eyes.
'I think it's just beginning…'