Disclaimer: I don't own HM.

3: Toadstools

I woke early the next morning and smiled happily when I looked out the window and the sun was shining brightly in the sky, just like any other hot summer day. I heard a loud knocking on the door, and I yanked on my jeans before I opened the door.

Gannon stood there, towering above me as always. "Morning," he greeted me, "I finished the barn." "Really? Cool," I said. There was no need to inspect it; Gannon was very trustworthy and hardworking. When I approached the new building, I grinned.

It was strong and finely built; it would last a very long time. Inside where two feeders, just like there had been in the chicken coop when it was first built. As I turned to leave, I saw there was a note next to the doors.

Mark,

Finish up your work for the morning and come by Mirabelle's.

Taro

Well, that was abrupt. I fed the chickens, put them inside my fence made of material stone, and let the dog out. I watered my tomatoes and my corn, giving them extra water because the weather was so hot. Then I headed to Mirabelle's.

Taro was sitting on one of the stools alongside the counter, next to his daughter, Felicia. Glancing into the kitchen, I saw Julia and Elliot sitting at the table with some tea. "There you are," Taro said, "Come on back."

He led me into the back room where the animals were. They were well taken care of – Vaughn and Mirabelle did a good job. He led me to a small stall and I peered through the bars. Inside was a small calf, chewing fodder from a large, square feeder. "I already bought her," Taro told me, "for your farm."

"You didn't have to," I answered, though I had suspected he would do something like this. He shrugged. "You'll have to buy the fodder, the milker and the brush. But she'll pay for herself eventually when she starts giving milk." I nodded. I bought a brush, a milker, and twenty pieces of fodder from Mirabelle – I could hear Julia laughing in the kitchen.

They came out into the main room, holding hands and smiling widely. "Hey, Mark," Elliot said. "Hey, El," I replied politely. "So, Mark, have you decided who you're taking to the festival yet?" Julia asked yet again. "Don't bother Mark, Julia," Mirabelle told her daughter, "He's very busy."

I nodded and avoided the question. Taro helped me get the calf to the barn, and I brushed and fed her. She mooed happily and started wondering around her new home. "Take good care of her. What'll you name her?" Taro asked.

I shrugged. Names weren't my thing. "Spot?" I suggested, gesturing to her black and white coloring. Taro rolled his eyes. "Name her whatever you want, boy." "Spot, then," I decided.

I wished I was more creative. Taro left then, muttering about possibly losing his touch when it came to weather-predicting. I smiled to myself. I really should be doing something productive today – looking for sunstones, mining, foraging, cleaning . . . but there was only one thing I really wanted to do.

Again, I wondered if I would be bothering her. But something told me that if I really was irritated her, she would let me know. So, I headed to Mystic Islands again.

I was about to head over to her pink house when I saw a girl with short red hair waving at me. I walked over to where she was, by the Harvest Goddess pond. She was smiling nicely, and I glanced over to the beautiful building I had taken no notice of before.

"Hello, I don't think we've met; I'm Alisa," she said pleasantly. "Mark," I told her. Just then, a man walked out of the church. "Alisa, who's this?" he asked. "I'm Mark," I repeated, "The Island's rancher. I raised these islands with sunstones." The man nodded. "I'm Nathan; it's good to meet you. Were you headed out here to offer something to the Harvest Goddess?" I fidgeted uncomfortably. Somehow I didn't think they would approve of my intentions to see Witch Princess if they were so crazy for the Harvest Goddess.

But I had never been one to lie. "No, I actually came to see a friend of mine." I jabbed my thumb over my shoulder. Nathan looked concerned. "Err…you are aware of who lives there, aren't you?" he asked, somewhat nervously. "Yes," I answered. Alisa looked confused. "Who?" she asked, "Who lives there?" "A witch. A real live witch," Nathan said with disgust, "A total enemy of the Harvest Goddess, and therefore an enemy of us."

He turned back to me, his expression still concerned. "If you know what's best for you, Mark, you'll avoid her. She's bad company." "Have you ever met her?" I asked, irked.

"I don't have to. She's a witch and she hates the Harvest Goddess. What other reason do we need to avoid her?" "She's not like you think," I almost snapped. Nathan sighed. "I can't tell you what to do, friend. I'm just giving you advice I honestly hope you follow."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. Nathan sighed again and headed back into the church. Alisa stared at the pink house on the other island. "Is there really a witch there?" she murmured, more to herself than to me. "Yes, but Nathan's wrong about her," I defended. She looked at me curiously.

"Do you know her?" she asked. "Sort of," I replied honestly, staring at the ocean waves and refusing to meet her eyes. She shuddered. "Well . . . uh, it was nice to meet you." Her voice was unconvincing. "Yes," I agreed, "Goodbye now." Alisa nodded and I left. I didn't look over my shoulder, but I could almost feel her eyes on my back.

When I got to the Witch Princess's house, the door was strangely open. I didn't want to be rude by simply going in, so I knocked. There was no answer. Curiosity won over politeness, and I went inside. The cauldron was gone, and the lights were, too.

Bears and frogs littered the floor as usual. Most of the potions were gone from the back shelf; only a few remained, and they were quiet, unlike the cackling and sizzling I was used to seeing. I was about to leave when, out of nowhere, I heard Witch Princess's voice, and I jumped.

"Don't go, Mark," she said. I looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, something began to take shape in front of me. One second she wasn't there, and the next she was, standing in front of me and smiling happily. I put my hand over my heart.

"You can't do that," I told her, but my voice was not harsh. "You'll give me a heart attack." Witch Princess laughed. "I'm sorry – I saw you through the window, coming on the boat, and I eavesdropped on your conversation with the Harvest Goddess followers." She scowled suddenly. "You were there?" I asked, blushing. "Yes – invisibility spells are very convenient." Her expression was suddenly grateful.

"Thank you for defending me. Not that it was needed, of course," she added quickly. I shrugged. "Sure. They had no right saying that stuff." She studied me for a second. Vaguely, I realized that I really uncomfortable under her dark red eyes anymore; I was merely curious as to why she stared. "What?" I asked finally. She shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing."

She turned and frowned at her almost-empty potion shelves. "I need to collect more ingredients today," she murmured to herself. She turned back to me. "Today I'll settle for getting some toadstools. Are you busy?" she asked. I should be, I thought to myself.

"No," I lied. She laughed. "Lying is an unattractive quality, Mark. But I'm no saint, either." I blushed again and tried to hide under my blue cap. Her voice turned oddly gentle. "If you're busy, I can do it myself. I've been doing it myself for a long time," she mused.

"How long, if you don't mind my asking?" I had been dying to know. She smirked, and fidgeted with her skull symbol. "Thousands of years, I suppose. I've lost count. Anyway" – a basket suddenly appeared in each of her hands, and she handed one to me, ignoring my gaping expression – "We'll use these to collect, if you'll help me." I nodded.

"I'll come." But then I frowned. "Witch Princess," I began. She looked curious. "I haven't ever seen toadstools are here. Maybe there'd be some on Mushroom Island, but I don't have enough sunstones to obtain it." I sighed. She snapped the fingers of her free hand. She reached into the deep pocket of her purple dress and pulled out an object I had learned to recognize long ago.

"I thought you mentioned one of these before, and I came across one when I was out." She handed me the bright red sunstone, and I smiled. "Thanks – eleven more to go for Mushroom Island." Witch Princess looked thoughtful. "It would be nice to not have to travel so far for ingredients, but that's the price I pay for marvelous potions. Anyway, we're not collecting toadstools here, silly. We're going quite far away indeed."

I was suddenly a little nervous. "Won't that take a very long time?" I asked. She snickered and held out her hand. "Trust me," she said. I did. I wondered when that happened. Nevertheless, I took her hand, and she closed her beautiful eyes and murmured something so low I couldn't hear.

And then I blinked and we weren't standing in her house anymore. Instead, I now found myself in a very big forest, with towering trees covered with moss and plants I had never seen before. The whole place was stunning, but it was disorienting to be in one place and suddenly find yourself in another.

I staggered backward and leaned against a tree for a minute, while she scanned the ground. She smiled when her eyes landed on a large patch of deadly-looking mushrooms. "Help me gather these, please, Mark," she said, bending down to begin. I came over to help her, trying not to look at the ugly mushrooms.

"Where are we?" I asked. She shrugged. "I don't keep track of where I am on the map when I travel like this. But I often come here for ingredients. It generally has everything I need." For a minute we worked in silence and, when both our baskets were about half full, something occurred to me. "How did that prank go with Witchkin?" I asked, "I told her to go home, but she threatened to turn me into a spider."

Witch Princess scowled. "She would pay dearly if she did that," she said darkly. I shuddered. She calmed herself and continued gathering. "It went smoothly. I got her to drink it, and she turned into a stuffed bear, just as I planned."

"Like I did?" I asked. She chuckled. "Yes, like you. She didn't take it as well, though. She stomped around and hit things, but of course she couldn't speak. And I know how much the bears disgust her, so I kept her like that for several hours. When I changed her back, she stormed out of the house and I haven't seen her since."

"Maybe she went back to her home?" I suggested. I heard a bird cawing somewhere high up in a tree, and I was reminded of the black bird Denny sometimes had on his shoulder. Witch Princess frowned. "No, I'm not that lucky. She'll be back, I'm sure."

"Won't she try to get you back?" I asked. Witch Princess chuckled forebodingly again. "Not if she knows what's good for her." It was silent again, and I finally asked her the question I had wanted to ask since we met. "Witch Princess . . ." I trailed off.

"Yes?" she sounded preoccupied. "I hope you don't think it's terribly rude of me to ask," I said slowly, "But, is Witch Princess your real name? Or is it just a title?" She stopped gathering, and suddenly was very distant, remembering things I couldn't possibly imagine.

"The last time someone asked me that," she said at last, "was a very long time ago." She stood up. "And he's long since dead now." "Is that your way of avoiding the question?" I asked. She ignored that. "No, I was just remembering. But you're right, it is just a title. Using first names seems so personal, and Witch Princess is more respectable anyway."

"You use my first name all the time," I pointed out. "You don't have a title," she retorted. She sighed. "But if you must know, my real name is Tianna." "Oh," I said, "That's pretty." She snorted. "Would you like me to still call you Witch Princess?" I asked, not taking my eyes from the mushrooms. But she was quiet for so long I looked up, and her expression was almost calculating.

"No, I suppose I know you well enough for you to call me Tianna." She nodded once to herself and started gathering mushrooms again. I let the silence go on after that, and it was comfortable. When the baskets were full, she smiled happily. She grabbed my hand again and zapped us back to her home. And just like that, I was on one of the Sunshine Islands again.

She took my basket from me and placed both on her large table. "Finally home, are you?" I whirled around to see Witchkin, sitting on her green canopy bed, a thick book open on her lap. "Yes we did, little niece of mine," Tianna said pleasantly.

Witchkin made a face at her and went back to reading her book. "I've been studying, you know. I'll probably beat you in no time at all." Witchkin sounded triumphant. Witch Princess rolled her eyes. "You never learn, do you?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned to me. "I feel bad, taking up so much of your time. Allow me to assist you with some of your tasks. I'm sure they can be done quickly with my help." She sounded confident.

"You don't have to do that," I said. "It will make me feel better," she insisted. "What has to be done?" "Well, I've wanted to mine lately, but it's a little dangerous, what with the pitfalls and all. I can't tell you how many times I've passed out down there." I thought she looked concerned all of a sudden, but it might have been my imagination.

"Yes, I will come help with that." She zapped us to Volcano Island, and we suddenly stood outside the mouth of the large, uninviting cave. I was disoriented again. "Do you do that whenever you go somewhere?" I asked. She shrugged. "Not always. It's quicker, but a walk is nice sometimes. Witchkin hardly ever does it." I pulled out my hoe. "I have to dig around for the stairs. Hopefully I don't find a pitfall first." I sighed and took the first swing.

Witch Princess frowned. "How dreadful," she murmured, "But easily fixable." "What's that?" I asked, taking another swing, having found nothing the first time. She didn't answer, so I stopped working to watch her. She stared at the ground for a long time, her eyes distant, focusing on something.

Finally, she looked back up at me and smiled. She walked with purpose to the left and gestured to a spot next to her. "Come over here, but avoid that part and that part," she instructed, pointing to a spot to my right and one in front of me. I stepped around it and made my way over. When I was there, I raised the hoe and dug. Sure enough, the stairs were there, waiting to take me deeper into the mine. I gaped at her. She laughed.

"Witch, remember?" she pointed to herself. The skull emblem on her cape-thing shone even in this dim light. We made our way down the mine until I found several diamonds, emeralds, and stones needed to make accessories. I would ask Charlie about that later.

I used the flashlight I had brought down to look at my watch – it was almost five. "I've got to get home." Tianna grabbed my hand from behind and zapped us in front of my farmhouse. The sun was setting – it was even prettier if you were at the beach. I turned back to Witch Princess and she looked thoughtful. It struck me that she was very beautiful in this light, and I blushed for thinking it, turning my head to hide it from her.

"Huh," I said. She looked curious. "What is it?" I shrugged. "Nothing; I've just never seen you on Vendure Island before. It's weird." She laughed enchantingly. "I've got to get back – I left the brat alone in my house with my bears," she realized. She scowled, and I saw that she was beginning to disappear. "Wait!" I cried. She suddenly snapped back into full-focus. "What?" she asked, looking alarmed.

I hadn't really had a reason for asking her to wait; I just wanted her to stay, but I quickly thought of something. "Witch Princess, err, Tianna," I corrected myself. She raised an eyebrow. "Do you know about the festivals we islanders have every month? They're pretty cool, and the Fishing Contest and the Fireworks Festival are both coming up very soon. They're both held on Meadow Island," I explained.

"Yes, I know about them." Tianna told me, sounding a bit bored. "Well . . ." My throat was dry. "When you go to the Fireworks Festival, you're supposed to bring a date. Would you like to go with me?" The last sentence I said rather softly.

She blinked and was silent for several minutes, first looking surprised, then nervous, and finally sad. "What?" I asked, not wanted her upset. "I would like very much to go with you," she said finally, "It's just that I don't talk to people much. It makes me uncomfortable." "You seem fine around me," I hedged. She sighed.

"You're different, Mark. I can't explain why or how, but you are. Not everyone is accepting of witches." She said this sadly. "Maybe that's because you're a fan of practical jokes," I said. She gave me a dirty look. I laughed, not nervous at all. I realized my fear of her had disappeared entirely, something I realized with great relief.

"No, seriously," I said, suddenly solemn, "it's just because they don't know you, and you know how people are stereotypical. If they got to know you, they'd love you like I" – I caught myself just in time. I had been about to say 'love you like I'm beginning to' and that would have been catastrophic.

"Like you what?" Witch Princess asked. Her eyes sparkled with some emotion I couldn't read. She was good at remaining unfathomable. "Nothing," I said uncomfortably. "I really don't want to go to Meadow Island and be around everyone. But we can walk the Fireworks from outside my house if you want. We'd be farther away, and the view might not be as great, but still . . ." Tianna trailed off.

It wasn't exactly was I wanted, but I should be leaping for joy that she wanted to watch with me at all. "It'll be a lot of fun," I enthused. She nodded. "Yes, I've seen Fireworks many times. I'm a little bored of them, to be honest, but it'll be different this time, I'm sure, because of my company." I blushed, and she chuckled. "I must get back. Witchkin is up to no good, I know it."

"Oh, wait a sec," I said, remembering something. I pulled the boot I had caught this morning out of my rucksack. "Do you like this as much as the fish bones?" I asked. She recoiled as if I was holding something vile.

"Ugh, no, no thank you. But my brat niece likes them." She took the very end of it and held it away from her body. "Uh, okay," I said. She wrinkled her nose.

"I . . . I might come by tomorrow, if get time. The Fishing Contest is coming up, and I still don't have anything good," I said tentatively. I could take you to a beautiful fishing spot where you're guaranteed to catch something big," she told me, "I've been to such places." I wondered idly for a second if there was somewhere she hadn't been.

"Thanks, but I would feel like I was cheating," I said. She shrugged as if that was no big deal. "Oh well, I hope I see you tomorrow, Mark. I like it when you come over. Spending too much time with the brat drains my sanity." I blushed again, but there was no hiding it this time. "I like coming over, too, Tianna," I said. She smiled a little, waved goodbye to me, and disappeared before I could blink again.