The forest was creepy at night. All sorts of noises floated around, like leaves crunching, twigs snapping, hoots, growls, and others I couldn't identify. Plus I couldn't see the trail I was following very well. For all I knew I was headed in a bad direction. What if the trail just circled back around to the bandits I had just left? Nonetheless, I hurried on, just anxious to be away from the danger I had escaped from. As long as I wasn't captured by bandits I could figure out some way of getting out of the forest. . . I think.
Unfortunately, I was still worn out from the many other events of the day, and night, so I knew I couldn't go on much further. Just as I was ready to give up, and sleep right on the trail, I noticed a clearing with a little cottage in it. It looked fairly small, with a thatched roof and a wooden door, but the really amazing thing was that it still had a light on. I dragged myself up to the door and knocked. The door opened to reveal an older woman, gnarled and worn from the trials of her life, or so I assume.
"Well dearie, it's about time you made it. I've been expecting you for hours!" she burst out happily.
"Wh-what? How could you have been expecting me? I don't know you," I cried out.
"Dear, I wouldn't question those who come to save you if I were in your condition. Besides, you do know me. You just haven't seen me in, oh, I dare say 18 years. You were just a wee baby when I saw you last," she contradicted me.
"Who are you?" I asked, more confused than ever.
"Never you mind. Now hurry up and get in. There are some diabolical creatures out in these woods, and I'd prefer not to let them in," she said, grabbing my arm and jerking me through the door. She sat me on an armchair in front of the fire (which seemed far too nice for a cottage in the woods) and then hurried to the pot cooking over the fire. I rubbed my arm, aware of the bruise I would likely have from her grip, and looked around.
There were all sorts of crazy contraptions in this house. On one side of the room was a large box with little buttons on it and a glass surface facing the chair. The buttons all had words on them, like power, channel, and volume. I couldn't make any sense of what it might do. Over on the other side, there were two more boxes, one a square and one a rectangle.
The square one had a door that opened downward. It looked kind of like the doors to the ovens in the kitchen at my palace, but the rest of the contraption looked completely different. It had metal circles on the top, four of them. I don't know what one would do with metal circles on top of a box, so I studied the long rectangular box instead.
It had two doors with handles right next to each other. I glanced over at the woman who had pulled me in. She was occupied with the pot still, so I stood up, and went over to the rectangular box. I opened one of the doors, and a blast of cold air hit me. I shivered and looked at what was inside. It was food! And it was all frozen. How did this woman manage to have frozen food stuck in a box like this?
"Oh dear, I should have known you'd go poking around. You always were a curious one," I heard from behind me. I jumped away from the frozen box and turned around guiltily.
"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be poking around," I knew I should have stopped there, but I had to know what these boxes she had were for. "Could you tell me how you are able to trap the cold in this box?" I gestured to the box behind me.
"Well, I don't think I could explain it in terms you could understand. It's not technically supposed to exist yet." I shook my head in confusion. Not supposed to exist? "It's called a refrigerator. And that one there," she pointed to the box beside it, "is called a stove. It works kind of like the ovens and fires that you have in your kitchens at home, though I find it to be more reliable and convenient."
"Where did you find these devices?" I asked.
"Oh, a little place called America, but that won't exist for some time either, so I really shouldn't mention it," she said, slightly mischievously.
"America?" I was now thoroughly confused. Too many things just didn't make sense here.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about it. I already have supper ready, so dig in." I noticed two bowls of soup sitting on the table. I hurried over to eat. It was the best soup I had ever had.
"What type of soup is this?" I asked. I had never tasted anything like it.
"It's called Minestrone. Just a little recipe I picked up from Italy," the old woman replied over her shoulder.
"Italy? Where's Italy?" I asked.
"Umm, just forget that I mentioned it, won't you?" She replied, sitting down at the table. She calmly started in on her soup as I just stared at her.
"What are you?" I asked. How could she know of stuff and have stuff from places that didn't exist. It was absurd. It was impossible! She sighed.
"I didn't want to tell you this, but I guess you do have a right to know," she said, fiddling with her spoon. "I'm your Fairy Godmother."
My mouth dropped to the floor. "My what?" I cried. When did I get a Fairy Godmother?
"Now dear I know you're shocked, but just think for a minute. You had to know that you had a Fairy Godmother. And that I would help you in your times of greatest need," she said soothingly.
"You- you're MY Fairy Godmother?" I couldn't believe it. How could my parents keep something like this from me?
"Oh dear. So I take it you weren't told about me. That is just like your mother. Wouldn't want you to get a big head about it. See, your mother and father are my dear friends, so I'm really only your Fairy Godmother as a favor to them. Strictly speaking we fairies don't tend to do the Godmother bit so much anymore. We prefer to keep to ourselves." The old woman motioned for me to keep eating my soup. After a few minutes she continued talking. "I must say that this is quite a large amount of trouble you've gotten yourself into. I don't know how you managed it. Bandits and thieves, evil princes and princesses- it's quite a mess."
"Evil what? Wait- are you saying that Rose and Raven really are evil?" I burst out. Ha ha! I knew it!
"What? Rose and Raven? No, no, not them. Well maybe Rose, but that's not who I was talking about."
"Then who were you talking about?" I asked puzzled.
"Princess Vasilisa. She's always fancied Prince Jack, but he seems to have taken a shine to you. Pity. Watch out for that doll of hers darling. It's dreadful." The old woman delicately wiped her mouth with a napkin and started cleaning up her place at the table.
"Doll? What's so bad about a doll? And why does it matter if Prince Jack likes me? I don't like him." I asked, twisting my body to follow the old woman's movements.
"This doll is full of evil magic ready to do the girls bidding. It's been in her family for generations. And you watch out for Prince Jack too. He's as evil as Vasilisa!" The woman put the dishes into a box by the sink with racks to hold the dishes. Strange. Wasn't she going to wash them? She seemed to follow my gaze because the next thing she said was, "This washes the dishes for me dear. Are you done eating?"
Without waiting for an answer she took my bowl away and put it in the box too. "Prince Jack is evil? I knew it!" I said triumphantly. "Stupid Prince and his stupid dancing."
"Now if you were smart dear, you would climb into that bed over there and get to sleep. You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow," the old woman said shaking her finger. I looked in the direction she motioned, and instead of the chair I had been sitting on earlier, there was a bed. I was too tired to even try to question how it had gotten there. I gratefully climbed in and shut out the world. Far too much had happened today. I needed a break.
A/N: Poor Elizabeth. She's in way over her head. Oh well! Don't forget to review because I love reviews, and I promise I will update again soon, although maybe not soon enough for some of you. See ya next time!
