THE MUSIC BOX, THE STAFF AND THE MIRROR
CHAPTER 1
ONCE UPON A TIME there was a chance meeting between two families. There was nothing special about them; they had no money or power. Their children didn't have unusual strength or incredible magical skills and yet, a special destiny lay in store for them. But this was the day fate brought them together.
The first family – father, mother and a little girl – came from the other side of the country in search of work and a place to live. They'd heard of a farm that had become available in a village called Essley and hoped to rent it from the landlord. Unfortunately the lord of Essley asked for a warranty to the value of three months' rent. They didn't have the money and Essley was a small and poor village. No other work could be found there. The only thing they could do was to try and find another place. They decided to go to Woodsted, the biggest town in the area, separated from Essley by a large forest.
The family had walked for hours. Close to midday they came upon a little dell in the otherwise dense woods. Here clear spring water bubbled up from the rocks so they decided to rest and have their midday meal. Barely had the mother taken out their scanty provisions when the second family – a woman with her little boy and her brother, a gangly youth – arrived and asked whether they could join the company.
They'd come walking from Woodsted where the woman had unsuccessfully tried to find a job. Somebody had told her about a smallholding that was to let in Essley and that's where they were going.
"We've come from there," the father said. "It looks like a good place, fertile, but the landlord wants three months' rent up front, and we haven't got that much."
The woman's face fell.
"I haven't got it either," she said and sighed.
The two families shared their supplies and after the meal talked about their problems and sorrows. Meanwhile the boy and girl played in the wood, having lots of fun. The grownups were packing up to go their separate ways when the little girl asked, "Can't we all stay together? Then I can have a playmate."
"Oh! Yes mum, can we?"
The boy was just as enthusiastic.
"You know, the farm is large enough for our two families," the girl's father said hesitantly.
"Can we do it together? Have we got enough money for the warranty then?"
They put their savings together and had enough money to pay the required warranty and the first month's rent. A short discussion later the grownups had agreed that it was a good idea. With new hope they went to the lord of Essley and together rented the small farm. The land that came with it yielded enough to feed the combined family.
The children, Hannah and Marc, soon became closer than siblings. They played together or with the other children in the village and, like them, loved to listen to Granny telling stories. Granny was the village midwife. She had never married and was really nobody's grandmother but truly everybody's Granny. She told some marvellous tales but the one Hannah and Marc liked best was the one of Princess Jessamina and the Prince who rescued her. Marc liked to play that he was the prince doing great feats of bravery, fighting dragons and villains, but when Hannah said she could be Princess Jessamina, Marc answered that she couldn't.
"You look nothing like Jessamina," he said. "But you can be my friend who goes with me on my quest to find her."
And Hannah accepted. She'd much rather play with Marc than with anybody else.
Of course when they were a bit older Marc didn't want to be with Hannah anymore but preferred to run around the countryside with the boys from the village.
"Boys don't play with girls," he told her. "That's for little children."
Hannah didn't have a close friend among the village girls. She'd always had Marc. Now she started to help her mother and Marc's mother in the household or went to the communal hall where the young girls sat together to do their spinning or knitting or sewing. A few years later Marc too was required to help on the farm and Hannah's workload had increased. There was little time left for play.
At sixteen Hannah was allowed to go to the village dance with Marc. He enjoyed her company, especially as it kept all too eager girls at bay. They all thought of him as taken – everybody did, including Hannah. Their parents silently approved of the match but didn't rush them into marriage; there was time enough yet for such things. Marc was totally unaware of these hopes. He was still looking for a girl like Jessamina; that is the Jessamina he'd imagined. None of the village girls came close, note even Hannah who, according to all the boys, was the prettiest.
The following winter disaster struck. An illness swept through the village. A great many of the villagers died, among them Granny. The farm too was badly hit. One after the other every member of the combined family fell ill. Hannah's mother was one of the first victims. Later her father and Marc's mother succumbed to the disease. When they were buried, Hannah and Marc were already gravely ill. Marc's uncle looked after them. He showed the first signs of the illness when Marc started to recover. By the time it looked as if Hannah would get well, he had to take to his bed. Marc became the one looking after the patients. While Hannah was soon well enough to sit up, Marc's uncle quickly got worse. When spring came around the disease had run its course and Hannah and Marc were the only survivors of their family.
Marc looked after the farm as well and, once she was fully recovered, Hannah helped him as much as she could. After a while they thought that the two of them could keep the farm but then their landlord came.
"Can I speak to the person in charge here," he asked Marc.
"I'm in charge now, Sir," Marc replied. "I look after the place, together with Hannah."
"And who is Hannah? Your mother? Your aunt?"
"Hannah is my friend," said Marc. Then he saw her leaving the house and added, "Look, there she is."
The landlord was amazed.
"But, you are both children," he said. "You can't run my farm. You're not old enough."
"I think we are, Sir," said Marc.
All his protestations didn't help. Hannah saw by Marc's reaction something was up and joined them. When she understood the problem she added her own voice to his pleadings but all to no avail. The landlord considered them too young and inexperienced to run the farm and gave them a week to leave.
What could they do? If there had been little work in Essley before, there was none now. To get away from the misery and bad memories they decided to take the forest path that led through the forest to Woodsted, hoping they might find work in the bigger town. They didn't have a horse and cart to carry their possessions though, there wasn't even a donkey – it all belonged to the landlord to pay the outstanding debts for equipment, seeds, renovations to the house and rent. They had to leave most of their belongings behind, taking only what they could carry.
Marc and Hannah set off along the forest path to Woodsted. The only thing they had to remember was this: whenever the path split, whether in two or three, they had to take the right fork. This would lead them through the wood before nightfall and to The Huntsman's Hideout for a warm, clean bed.
While they were walking Hannah and Marc talked about their future. Where would they go and what would they do? Could they find a job in town? Would they be able to stay together? They paid so little attention to the path that they missed the turn for Woodsted. By the time they came to the next fork in the path they were so deep in the forest that Hannah's remark, "We have to go right here," only took them further in.
The dense undergrowth and the narrow path at the next turn worried them somewhat, but they kept going. Soon the path all but disappeared. They had to pick their way over fallen trees and dead branches. When it became too dark to see, they stuffed their bundles in a hollow tree and clambered under a thorny bush to spend the night. The following morning they continued. All that was left of the path was a narrow corridor hemmed in on all sides by thick tall bushes. The small brooks that seemed to criss-cross this part of the forest were no obstacle. Eventually the wood became less overgrown but the only sign of a path was still the narrow track where the grass had a trampled down look; the trail of an animal rather than a real path. After a while they noticed that the path became wider again, the trees and bushes less dense. They forded another beck, this one the widest so far, and shortly afterwards they came upon another fork in the road. The path seemed to continue left; on the right hand the trail looked to have a dead end in a thick wall of thorny bushes.
"We've always been told to take the right turn, but that doesn't look promising," said Marc.
"We should have been out of the forest before nightfall yesterday. I think we are lost." Hannah sounded really worried.
"Let's take the left road, Hannah. If we are lost it is surely better to go that way. It looks more like a proper path anyway. Besides, there must be more than one way to get out of this forest. There might even be another town and it doesn't matter which town we go to, does it."
"You're right Marc; we're probably close to the edge of this forest. Let's go left."
They continued along their chosen route, faster than before on the even surface of what now was a wide lane. It wound its way through the wood, making great curves to the right or left, then going dead straight for a while.
It was late in the day when they came to a small clearing in the forest. On the edge of the clearing, next to the path was a shed, perhaps a shelter for the night. Close up, they saw how dilapidated it was; the door hung loose and it came of its hinges when Marc tried to open it. Then they saw the hole in the roof, the rotten hay inside, the weeds that had crept through the planks and the spider webs everywhere.
"Let's go further," said Marc. "It is still early. Perhaps there is a farm nearby or even a village."
"Perhaps, but it looks more like an abandoned shed, well away from anywhere. Anyway, we should eat first. Could you find me some firewood? It would be nice to have something warm. It is rather cold today."
While Hannah started on the food, Marc went to find some wood. He was back in no time.
"Hannah, come here. You have to see this."
Hannah followed Marc when he disappeared through a gap in the hedge that bordered the clearing. They came out on a circular meadow and on the far side …
"It's a house. Who lives there?"
"I don't know. I fetched you as soon as I saw it."
They walked to the farmhouse and knocked on the door but nobody answered. They walked all around the house, looked in every window but didn't see a soul. The place seemed deserted and, by the look of it, had been deserted for a long time.
Marc tried the door handle and the door opened easily. Inside the place it was dark and dusty.
"We could stay here for the night, Marc. There's a proper fireplace and we'll be warm; better and safer than shivering under a thorny bush."
Marc agreed. They fetched their belongings, then they lit a fire and Hannah cooked the food. Marc found some candles and decided to have a further look in the house. He came back with an armful of blankets and laid them in front of the fire. That night they slept comfortable and warm, and most important of all, safe.
