So sorry for the delay in updating this story. Rest assured, I have NOT abandoned it, the story arc encompasses 1969 thru the 1990s (perhaps even later, if I follow thru on an epilogue idea I've been kicking around).
But I may finish the story in multiple volumes rather than one huge book with gazillions of chapters.
Anyways, I hope you like this latest chapter!
Chapter 18 -- The Dream
Monday, August 25, 1969
The sun was well above the horizon and promising a hot day, when its rays finally awoke Severus.
He knew that as time was counted on the farm that it was relatively late. Yet except for the occasional mooing of a cow, the droning of cicadas, the far-off drone of a tractor, it was unusually quiet.
He rolled over and gazed about the loft.
Yesmina's eyes were still closed, but Severus suspected that she was not really asleep.
Angel and Steve were already up and changing their clothes. Dawn and DeWard were clutching each other, but Severus suspected that they, too, were no longer asleep.
Severus sat up and reached out to Yesmina, gently shaking her shoulder. The quickness with which she opened her eyes proved to Severus that she had only been pretending to be asleep.
"Time to get up," Severus whispered.
"I know," she answered, without moving. "I just…"
She let the sentence trail off. She just looked up at Severus, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
Severus quickly looked away, crawled over to his satchel, and pulled out a clean tee shirt.
Yesmina sat up and silently went through her own belongings, trying to decide what to put on. Angel and Steve went down the steps without saying anything, and Dawn and DeWard got up without saying a word and changed their clothes.
Severus did not know what to say. He did not know whether he should say anything.
He hated this feeling. Sure, he liked Free well enough. However, they had only known her a little over a week. How had they allowed themselves to become so attached to her?
They would never see her again. Oh, there were letters that would be exchanged, even calls on the telephone. But they would never see her again. She was going back to California, and they were going…
Where were they all going?
Steve and Dawn were obviously staying here on their own farm. They would never see them again, either.
Moreover, Azalea was going back to her own family. The one person who was the most desperate to turn them all into one big family would no longer be with them.
That left Severus with Angel, Yesmina, and DeWard to go with the Silversteins to the Hog Farm commune in New Mexico.
However, fact be told, it did not. He would be going back to England. Eventually. Some day. Some how.
To Lily, whom he suddenly, desperately missed.
But dammit! Now he was already missing these kids! Uranus Anus! (A curse he had come up with the year before and which his mother strongly cautioned him against using, at the same time as she tried to hide the fact that she was laughing).
Uranus Anus!
He desperately missed Lily. However, when he went back to England, he was going to desperately miss his friends here in America.
He hated the feeling, and he hated the power that it meant that they had over him.
Not that he minded that Lily had that power. She was a witch like his mother, after all. But these kids were just Mugg…
Severus caught himself thinking that word.
True, they were not wizards and witches (although Severus had begun to wonder about Yesmina), but they had been nice to him. Nevertheless, he did not like the fact that nonmagickal people had that sort of power over him, that sort of hold on his feelings. In the long run, they would never be able to share his world, let alone live in it, nor he their's.
He kicked a bale of hay in anger and frustration, and then grabbed his satchel and climbed down the steps to wash in the sink downstairs.
He joined a silent Steve and Angel who were hanging around outside, waiting for the others. Eventually Dawn and DeWard, and finally Yesmina joined them.
No one said a word, just looked sadly at one another and then turned and walked silently towards the main house.
They could see activity on the patio in back of the house and started to walk in that direction when they were interrupted by a sound coming from between a parked pickup truck and a non-functioning tractor.
"Pssstt!"
They looked, but could not see anything.
"Pssst!" the sound repeated, and now they could see Azalea crouched down between the vehicles, beckoning them to come over.
"What are you doing here?" Angel demanded.
"Aren't you supposed to be with Free?" Yesmina added, as Azalea stood up, looking around to make sure no one else was listening.
"She's making a surprise breakfast for us," Azalea whispered.
"Sooo…" Angel mused. "Guess it's not much of a surprise anymore, is it?"
Azalea glared at him.
"What she's makin's the surprise, asshole!" she retorted.
Severus noticed that even though she had put on makeup, her eyes were swollen and red from crying.
And her hands, oddly enough, had patches of red and black on them. She glanced around in a suspicious manner. "Listen! I got an idea! Got it last night! Remembered seeing these in the barn!"
She reached under the decrepit tractor and pulled out a couple of cans of black and rust-red spray paint, and thrust them into the confused hands of Severus, Yesmina, and Angel. She then reached into her bag and retrieved a handful of black markers.
"Where did you get those?" Angel demanded.
"Don't you never mind where I got these!" Azalea retorted, shoving the markers into the hands of Steve, Dawn and DeWard, who were just as confused.
"We gotta decorate their bus!" Azalea asserted, stamping her foot as if the idea should have been obvious to them.
"I already started," she called over her shoulder, as she led the way to the Swann's bus. "'cuz you all lazy, decided to sleep in this mornin'!
They trailed after Azalea because, well, that is what they usually did. However, Severus wondered if grief over the prospect of Free's leaving had unhinged Azalea's mind in some manner.
They emerged from between the other parked vehicles; Azalea kept on marching towards the Swann's bus in a particularly determined manner, but the rest just stopped in their tracks and gawked.
"What!?" Azalea demanded in frustration, turning to face them with her hands on her hips. But everyone was speechless.
"WHAT!?" Azalea again demanded, this time even more frustrated with them. "What you all gawkin' at?"
"Az…Azalea!" Angel finally stammered. "Are you CRAZY???"
Because there, on the side of the bus, was emblazoned the phrase, "We Love Freedom!"
Actually, the word "love" was replaced with the symbol of a heart in red paint, but Severus had seen many posters and signs that did that, so he was not unfamiliar with the substitution of the symbol for the word.
As an additional flourish, Azalea had used a peace sign for the "o" in "Freedom".
"What's wrong?" Azalea demanded. Severus was sure that her mind was unhinged.
"What's wrong?!" Steve exclaimed. "You just vandalized their bus, is all!"
Azalea looked as if she had been slapped. She then stared at the bus, and then turned back to the others.
"In case y'all hadn't noticed, they already had all sorts of shit painted on that bus!" she replied.
This was true. The Swanns had exuberantly decorated the bus with all sorts of symbols and pictures, and phrases much like Severus and the others used to spray on buildings back in New York City. But the largest lettering on the bus had been only about a foot high.
Azalea's handiwork, on the other hand, was easily four feet high and filled the whole side of the bus. She had also added phrases in smaller lettering, proclaiming "Let Freedom Ring", "Freedom Rules!", "Freedom For All!", and she proudly showed them the top of the bus, where she had added a rather prettily lettered "Freedom At Last! Freedom At Last! Someday We'll All See Freedom At Last!"
As an additional embellishment, Azalea had drawn flowers, butterflies, and half-moons radiating beams throughout the phrases she had painted.
"You gotta use her full name, 'Freedom', 'cuz it give it two meanings that way!" Azalea exclaimed breathlessly, the last to climb down, a glint in her eyes.
Severus was convinced that she definitely had lost her mind.
However, he was almost as sure that someone in that state could be dangerous, so he said nothing and waited for someone else to make a move.
"What you all waiting for!" Azalea almost screamed, an unnatural brightness in her eyes.
Everyone just looked at each other; Severus suspected that they thought the same way he did.
It was Yesmina who made the first move, shyly stepping forward and tentatively spraying a small flower in one of the few clear spaces on the bus. Azalea gazed on her like a mother duck proud of one of its ducklings taking its first swim. She then turned and glared at the others.
"You two go inside and start decoratin'!" Azalea ordered DeWard and Dawn, which, considering their size, seemed the best idea and the two quickly ran into the bus.
Yesmina was now spraying the phrase, "For Freedom's Sake", by the rear bumper.
Severus, Angel, and Steve just looked at each other, each acutely aware that Azalea was glaring at them with her hands on her hips. The boys just shrugged at each other, then turned towards the bus and started painting phrases on it.
In a short while, they had added, "Amazing Freedom", "Believe In Freedom," and "Freedom Is All Around Us", to the other side of the bus, and finished off by painting, "Freedom Bus", to the hood, with a flourish of peace signs, butterflies, and moonbeams.
Inside the bus many of the phrases on the outside were written, along with, "Freedom Is Beautiful", "Put A Little Freedom In Your Heart" (the word 'Heart' replaced with the symbol), and Steve's surprising contribution of "Freedom Is Nothing Else But A Chance To Be Better", to the ceiling, and his surprisingly rather good renditions of the dove seen on the Woodstock Concert posters.
It was almost 9:30 by the time they had finished. Steve showed them where they could find some turpentine to clean their hands, and after a quick wash-up, they headed towards the house for breakfast. Severus noticed Jack leaning on a post on the front porch, smoking a cigarette; he couldn't be sure, but Severus had a strong suspicion that Jack had watched them all the while they had painted the Swann's bus.
A variety of paper lanterns gaily decorated the trees overhanging the patio, along with strips of bright cloth, and swags of crepe paper streamers. Someone had made a sign stating "Bon Voyage" and another one proclaiming "Good Luck" and had tacked them to the kitchen windows.
The table had a red calico cloth on it and was laden with pitchers of milk, pots of coffee and tea, and bowls of fruit and berries and various homemade breads, muffins, cakes and pies.
Free was helping her mother at the wood cook stove, and smiled broadly at them when they all sat at the table.
"I've made breakfast for you," she announced, as she and her parents placed dishes in front of them which Severus saw contained a toasted scone (which everyone else still insisted on calling an "English Muffin") on top of which was a poached egg that was crowned with something Severus did not recognize, but which Free told him was called "salsa".
Along with this were served large squares of cornbread with chopped peppers in it. There was also plain cornbread on the table, along with mountainous quantities of various types of biscuits, muffins, rolls, pies, cakes, cookies and loaves of bread.
As Severus was finishing what he was told were called "Huervos Rancheros", his plate was refilled with sausages and biscuits smothered in gravy. After that, he accepted an offer of a grilled ham steak and a slice of something that looked sort of like a pie, which was both custardy and cheesy and full of chopped pepper and bacon. He finished by washing a big helping of apple pie down with a large glass of milk.
Severus noticed that the adults seemed to be lingering at breakfast, even Mr. Temple. It was as if everyone wanted to delay the inevitable parting.
But eventually the last glass of milk was drunk, the last cup of coffee sipped, the last dish washed and dried, and what seemed to be dozens of bags of food given to the Swanns for their journey home. Severus noticed Free biting her lower lip as everyone left the table and slowly walked through the house and out the front door.
"I packed your bag for you," Yesmina told Free as she handed it to her. "There's a gift inside from DeWard and me…"
Free looked surprised, and stopped to look inside her bag. She laughed as she pulled something out.
"It's so you can keep in touch…" Yesmina explained.
As they stepped off of the porch and into the sunshine, Severus could see that Yesmina's gift looked like a box of stationery. Free tugged at her mother.
"Mommy! Look!"
Nierika smiled and then laughed when she saw the gift. She then opened up her own bag, and Free searched in it, pulled out a box, and handed it to Yesmina.
"This is my gift to you!" she exclaimed, laughing. Yesmina also laughed when she saw that Free had given her a box of stationery.
"There're stamps inside, too!" Free added. "And my address. And phone number. Here!"
She fished inside her mother's bag once again, and handed boxes of stationery to Azalea, Angel, Steve, Dawn, and Severus himself. She then handed some coloring books and a box of crayons to DeWard, who just stood there with his mouth open.
"I also got pens for you all," and after again searching her mother's bag, pulled out a handful of large, fluffy feathers. She handed a white one with silver sparkles to Yesmina, a Day-Glo orange and pink one to Azalea, a lime green one to Dawn, a robin's egg blue feather to Steve, and black and red one to Angel, and one in shades of violet and deep forest green to Severus. When he looked more closely at it, he realized it was a quill pen.
Well, not really a quill pen. It resembled the one his mother had which she sometimes allowed him to use. However, this one was plastic at the end, and had a ballpoint writing tip.
The girls started to get tears in their eyes and commenced hugging each other and stating how much they were going to miss each other. Angel, Steve, and DeWard all looked uncomfortable. Severus felt that way, and decided to distract himself by studying the stationery Free had given him. It was made of paper in a medium shade of green, with a dark green design across the top. The design was a nondescript scrolling pattern. It could suggest a curling vine. Or a slithering serpent.
Severus rather liked it.
And realized just how much he was going to miss Free.
The adults had slowly shepherded them from the porch through the maze of vehicles, but everyone stopped short once the Swanns' bus came into view.
"What the fuck?!" someone exclaimed. Everyone else was speechless.
Free, for the first time since Severus had met her, was nonplussed and at a loss for words as she stared at the bus with her mouth open. She looked at her parents, who both started laughing hysterically. Free then started laughing too, but had tears starting to fill her eyes.
"You guys are, like, nuts, man!" she gasped.
"It was my idea!" Azalea proudly announced. "We decorated the inside, too!"
"Oh, can't wait to see that!" Isaac laughed, as he went into the bus. His raucous laughter could be clearly heard, and then he and some of the other adults proceeded to load all the gifts of food onto the bus.
It had reached that awkward moment when the parting could no longer be delayed. Everyone stood around nervously, wondering what to say.
"Oh!" Severus exclaimed, reaching into his satchel. "I almost forgot…"
He retrieved the hair band and belt that Priscilla the elf had worked on for him, and clutching them in his fist, he pressed them into Free's fist. He stepped back, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"That's for you," he said. "I made it…"
This wasn't exactly true. However, he figured now was not the time to try to explain that there were a pair of elves from the North Pole camping in the woods adjacent to the Temple farm.
Free held out the headband, and then the belt, a look of amazement on her face. The others gasped in awe.
Severus had to admit that Priscilla did some mighty fine work.
"It's…it's beautiful, man!" Free gasped. Severus looked up, almost smirking with pride.
But that was immediately replaced by abject confusion, as Free burst out crying and buried her face in Severus' gift.
All he could think was that he had made Free cry. First Judy, and now Free. Free, who never cried.
Nierika came over and put her arm around her daughter's shoulders, and Free turned toward her mother and bawled into her breasts.
"I…I'm sorry!" Severus stammered. "I…I thought you'd like…"
Nierika smiled at him and shook her head, which just confused Severus more.
"Id…idzo pity" Free sobbed into her mother.
"Yes, it is very pretty, a beautiful gift for my beautiful daughter!" Nierika consoled Free, combing her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Now go say thank you to Severus, who thinks you don't like his gift…"
Free pulled away from her mother, wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and then came over and threw both arms around Severus, pulled him to her so that his nose was pressed into her chest, and she proceeded to cry into the top of his head.
Severus managed to turn his head enough so that he could breathe, and he caught a glimpse of Angel, who just looked back at him and shrugged.
"They're so pretty, Sev!" Free was sobbing, finally letting him go. "No one's ever given me anything so pretty!"
She again grasped him, but instead of crying she smothered him with kisses on his cheeks and forehead and nose and chin and he thought maybe she even got him on his mouth but there were so many kisses he was not sure.
Nierika put her arm around Free's shoulder, and gently guided her towards the bus.
"I'm going to miss you all!" Free called back as she started to climb into the bus.
Everyone started calling out "Bye!" and "Good luck!" and "Safe journey!" as the bus started up, and Isaac carefully navigated turning the bus around. But as he made the final turn to be able to drive out of the farm the bus came to a stop, and Free came running out carrying a large paper sack.
"These are for you all!" she exclaimed, thrust the bag at Severus who was the nearest, and then after giving a quick kiss to all of the children she ran back to the bus.
The last they saw of her, Free was waving frantically out the back window of the bus with both Bub I and Bub II grasped in her other hand. By the time the bus had reached the end of the drive they could hardly see her, but they all continued to wave and call out good wishes. Then the bus turned onto the main road, and the Swanns were gone.
It was only then that Severus realized that his cheeks were wet. He quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and he realized that all of the other children and a few of the adults were doing the same. He looked into the bag that Free had given him, and chuckled softly.
"What is it?" Azalea demanded. Severus retrieved one of what seemed thousands of small green objects from the bag, and popped it into his mouth.
"Wasabi peas," he answered, handing the bag to her as he savored the white-hot explosion in his brain from what was an unusually pungent pea.
Azalea looked into the bag with a slight look of disbelief, and then snorted a semi-laugh as she reached in and grabbed some peas and popped them into her mouth before passing the bag on to the others, who also partook of the peas.
The bag was returned to Azalea, who turned towards the driveway holding the bag aloft.
"Here's to you, Free!" she announced, and Severus suspected that the tears in her eyes were not completely due to the effect of the Wasabi Peas.
They stood around uncomfortably for the next few minutes not knowing what to do. Azalea finally stomped off towards the loft, and after a short pause, Yesmina decided to go after her. DeWard accepted Dawn's invitation to play a board game in her bedroom, and Angel and Steve decided to go swimming.
They invited Severus to join them, but he demurred, stating that he might join up with them later. The two other boys departed, and Severus decided he just wanted to walk.
He went towards the garden behind the patio and sat on the bench in the center, watching and listening to the musical bees.
It seemed to him that their song was not quite as cheerful as the first time he had heard them. He wondered if they could sense his mood, as their music seemed to be a lament of sadness and loneliness.
Severus did not like the feeling of emptiness inside him. He was almost angry over it, angry with himself for having the feeling, and angry at Free for causing it. She was nice and all, but they had only known her a little over a week. Why did he miss her so much?
He missed Lily. The emptiness and loneliness he felt was like the feeling he had when he thought of Lily. However, Free was just a friend, and he would never see her again. Lily was…well, more than a friend, and he would see her again and she would be awed and impressed with everything he would have to tell her about his adventures in America…
He stood up and went out of the garden and down the hill and walked past the fields, most of which were past harvest. He went into the orchard and ate a few blueberries, and slowly turned around to get a good look at the whole farm so that he would never forget it.
They themselves were leaving at the end of the week. There would be another sad parting, as they left Steve and Dawn behind and the whole Temple farm.
Then Azalea would leave them soon after that.
Severus wished there was some spell he could cast to stop time in its tracks; he wished today would never end. He would find a way to contact Lily, he would bring her here, and they could study magick together in this magickal place…
He sighed and then slumped his shoulders. There was no spell that he knew of that could stop time. It would continue on its steady path and soon it would be Friday and they would be leaving.
He climbed the hill leading up to the path that led through the woods to the swimming pond, but he was in no mood for swimming. He decided to go back to the loft, but something at the edge of the woods caught his eye.
It was that strange shadow creature again, keeping pace with him. When he stopped and stared at it, it too stopped and stared back. But when Severus started walking again, so did the creature.
"What do you want?" Severus demanded, after the third time this happened, but the only response seemed to be the creature crouching down on its front quarters while keeping its hindquarters stuck in the air, and then making a sound that to Severus sounded like wind circulating in a hollow cavity.
"Suit yourself," Severus shrugged, turning and starting again to walk towards the loft.
Severus wondered if it was actually going to follow him into the loft, but as he approached the barn, he saw Yesmina coming towards him, and when he glanced to his side, the shadow creature was gone.
"Azalea's asleep," Yesmina announced as she reached him. "She didn't get much sleep last night."
"How is she doing?" Severus asked. Yesmina shrugged.
"She misses Free," she answered. "But she's trying not to show it. I think she's going to be really bossy to us when she wakes up…"
Severus just stared at Yesmina, and then both started laughing.
"I suppose we should make the most of the peace and quiet while we can!" Severus observed, and Yesmina nodded, grinning broadly.
"Do you want to go swimming?" Severus asked, but Yesmina shook her head.
"Maybe later on, after lunch," she mused. "I think Azalea would like to, and it might be good for her, to, you know, do something physical to get her mind off of Free…"
"So what do you want to do?"
"Let's go up to the house, see what Dawn and DeWard are doing…"
So they silently strolled back to the main house, Severus sure that Yesmina was also thinking about their own departure at the end of the week.
Again, almost as if she could read his mind, Yesmina announced, "You know, Friday's Angel's birthday…"
Severus stopped in his tracks. Early on, he had learned everyone's birthday, but with so much happening, he had forgotten that Angel's birthday would be occurring on the very day that they were leaving the Temple farm.
"It's going to be really hard for Angel, he and Steve have become such good friends," Yesmina observed, adding, "But he won't show it like Azalea does…"
Thank Merlin for that, Severus thought. However, he had the feeling that Yesmina was expecting something more from him.
"We should do something for Angel," she stated. "Maybe we can do a party for him Thursday night, before we leave."
Severus had little experience with birthday parties, neither with having any or attending any, let alone planning one.
"Uh, yeah," he stammered. "You should talk to Annie and Benjie about it…"
Yesmina nodded and started walking towards the house again; Severus caught up with her, glad that no further mention of birthdays or parties or partings was made.
When they got to the house they found that some more goats' milk soap was being made, so both Severus and Yesmina decided to help. Severus found having to follow specific steps in a specific manner, to stir at just the correct time for the correct amount of time, a very calming and soothing exercise where he could focus his mind on the task at hand and forget everything else.
He gladly memorized the basic recipe and its variations, and was proud when his own suggestions regarding the use of diverse herbs and tinctures were taken seriously and put to the test, with more than satisfactory results.
Soon it was early afternoon and time for lunch; since they'd all had such a large breakfast, lunch was a simple affair of cold cuts and cheese, with a tray of ripe sliced tomatoes and sliced fresh green peppers.
Azalea had taken her braids out and had styled her hair into what she called a "'fro", and was actually looking rather refreshed in a dashiki and sandals and fresh makeup.
She handed an envelope to Janet Temple, and asked if she could mail it for her.
"It's a letter to Free," Azalea announced as she sat down at the table. No one said anything, but as Yesmina had predicted, Azalea was soon sassing and bossing the rest of the children in her normal manner.
After lunch, with the temperature in the low 90's, it was decided that they'd all go swimming. Severus was glad that everyone seemed to be getting over their depression regarding Free's departure, but that quickly ended when, after they had only been swimming a short while, Azalea broke down in tears again.
Even Jill and Libby, who'd come out to swim with their brothers, joined Yesmina, Dawn, and DeWard in trying to comfort Azalea.
The rest of the boys stood around in obvious discomfort, not knowing what to say or do. Dave suggested that they go back to his house to play something called "basketball", but Severus demurred when they asked him.
He had never been very good at sports, and he had no idea what this particular game entailed. He just knew that the chances of him being any good at it were slim, and he was in no mood to be made fun of over it.
He also knew, once the other boys left, that he was in no mood to deal with the outpouring of feminine angst that was occurring pond-side, so without saying a word he put on his clothes, picked up his satchel, and started on his way back to the farm.
However, he did not feel like returning to the loft, and therefore decided he would walk around the pond and explore the woods on the other side, which he surmised would take him out to the farm by the orchard.
It was quite hot along the pond's edge where there was no shade to offer respite from the sun. Severus could hear Azalea's sobs even when he had reached the opposite shore, but when he entered to woods, he was surrounded with coolness and silence.
While he could find no actual path, there was a line of mossy ground that had matted down ferns and broken branches, which showed that others did use it as a way to reach the pond.
Severus went this way for some minutes, expecting that it would lead out to the farm or close by it, but then he realized that it was leading him deeper into the forest.
He looked around and then overhead, realizing that the trees had become much thicker, making it quite dark and impossible to see the sun, hence impossible to tell what direction he was going.
He decided to retrace his steps to go back to the pond, and then take the regular path back to the farm, but after a few minutes, he realized he did not recognize anything in his surroundings, and a slow dread grew within him as he realized that he was lost.
He forced himself to breathe slowly and calm the beating of his heart; panic would not help his situation. He looked up, trying to determine where the sun was in the sky; at was midafternoon, so the sun would be in the west. However, the canopy of branches and leaves was so thick he could barely see bits of blue of the sky beyond -- everything was in shadow on the forest floor, there was no way to determine direction that way.
He sat on a rotting log, and forced his mind to reflect calmly on his situation. He could just remain where he was; someone would surely come looking for him when he did not show up for supper.
However, it was so dark in the forest right now, Severus was sure that it would be like night in here by the suppertime, and he was not at all sure that he wished to be in this forest after dark. He had a strong feeling that this area of the forest did not contain hospitable elves from the North Pole out on a camping holiday.
As much as he strained to hear, no sounds came to him either of anyone at the pond, or from the Temple farm. He realized that there were no sounds of animals, either, although there was the soft chirping of crickets somewhere…it was impossible to tell what direction it came from, it seemed to come from everywhere and yet from nowhere.
What bothered him, now that he thought about it, was that there was no sound of any birds.
Yet almost immediately after the thought had occurred to him, he heard an owl somewhere high overheard. He looked in the direction of the sound but could see nothing in the canopy overhead, but the sound strangely made him feel better.
He stood up, and as he did so, something in the underbrush a few feet away caught his eye.
It was hard to make out in the darkness, but he recognized the strange shadow creature that had been trailing after him for days. The creature just stared at him without moving.
"I don't suppose you can offer me any help!" Severus observed, to which the creature made the same strange, hollow wind sound it had made earlier. It then moved off in a particular direction, stopping to look back at Severus and make the same sound again.
Severus decided that following the creature was as good an idea as any other one available at the moment, so without saying a word he picked up his satchel and walked towards the creature, who turned without a sound and loped (Severus assumed its movement could be called "loping") in a direction that to Severus seemed to take them deeper into the woods.
He supposed that he should be frightened, but the blanket of silence in the forest also quieted his own heart and mind. Perhaps this was meant to be a day of partings, perhaps he was meant to disappear into this forest and emerge into a new adventure somewhere else. Perhaps this creature was somehow leading him home.
But instead of emerging into the sunlight of the playground near Lily's house, or even into the shadow of the smokestacks by his own home, the creature led him into clearing and then stopped as if sniffing the air.
While the area was devoid of trees it was covered with plush, green moss and thick with ferns of various shapes and sizes. The forest was thick surrounding this area, and the air was thick, dark, and dank. Severus almost felt like he was under water rather than in a forest clearing.
He looked at the creature, but for once it seemed to be ignoring him, its attention focused on the other side of the clearing. Severus felt sure that something was there, or that the creature expected something to appear shortly. He peered into the darkness, but could see nothing.
The shadow creature turned and came to his side, still staring at something beyond the clearing. Severus had the sensation that it was leaning against his leg, but he could not be sure -- but his leg felt both cool and warm where the creature stood, and he felt little pricks of electricity like when his foot fell asleep.
He slowly retrieved his wand from his satchel; while the creature seemed to be more nervous than afraid, Severus felt that he should be prepared for whatever was coming.
Not that he was sure what to do; his mother had never let him practice wand magick with her own wand -- she had said that there would be time enough for that when he went away to Hogwarts.
There was a sound ahead in the darkness -- Severus could not make out whether it was the rustling of dried leaves on the forest floor, or some sort of whisper. However, he was sure that the shadow creature was leaning harder into his leg.
"Luminos!" he whispered hoarsely, pointing the tip ahead in hopes of casting light on whatever it was that was there.
However, nothing happened.
Severus stared at his wand in dismay, and then clearly heard the noise of something moving towards them.
"LUMINOS!" he cried out, trying not to panic.
To his relief (and more than a modicum of surprise), the tip glowed a bright bluish-white, illuminating the clearing.
He had the sense that the shadow creature was looking up at him, but he paid it no attention, because the light from his wand had revealed the most amazing sight.
Surrounding him on the edge of the clearing were the strangest creatures he had ever seen, and he would read all of his mother's books on magickal creatures and monsters.
They were men…at least, from the torso up. Their skin was an odd color that Severus could only describe as bronze, but in the literal sense, like bronze metal. However, they also had a glow (perhaps due to the light from his wand) that suggested gold.
The hair on their heads was black and straight, not too unlike Severus' own. Some had short hair, some long and loose, others wore braids.
However, it was their bodies below their torso that amazed Severus; their legs were like that of a deer or an elk. What was even odder is that some were only two-legged, like fauns, while others were four-legged, like centaurs.
Moreover, while they obviously had a language which they murmured amongst themselves, Severus had a strong sense that these creatures wore more feral than civilized.
They seemed as surprised at seeing him as he was in them, and he noticed that they took a keen interest in the fact that the shadow creature was by his side.
After what he took to be an energetic discussion amongst the creatures, one of them tentatively stepped into the clearing and stopped a few feet away from Severus.
He looked to be young, 14 or 15 if he was human, and he had two legs covered in tan and white fur, and hooves for feet. Even though the creature's countenance was somewhat haughty, Severus could see a short tail flicking nervously behind it.
"What manner of being are you?" it demanded, in a somewhat stilted fashion.
Severus realized that not only were these creatures surprised to see him, but that they found him as strange as he found them.
"I'm a boy," Severus answered, for want of anything better to answer. There were guttural murmurings from the other creatures, and one with grey streaks in his hair barked something in their own language to the creature speaking to Severus.
"You are…a man creature?" it asked.
"Yes."
The creature looked from Severus' face to his wand, and then down at the shadow creature, who was now laying flat with its head on the ground, as if in abeyance to this creature.
"You…you are wizardkind?" the faun-like creature asked, nodding his head towards Severus' wand.
"Yes…yes, I am a wizard."
The faun-like creature gazed at him critically, and then called over his shoulder in his own language to the grey-haired creature. Whatever the younger one said, the older creature did not seem overly pleased by it, and grumbled something back to the younger creature.
"What mischief do you bring, trespassing in our forest?" the younger creature demanded of Severus.
Severus was beginning to feel more than somewhat annoyed.
"I do not bring any mischief!" he retorted. "And I was not trespassing, as far as I know this is a public forest! I was at the pond, and just wanted to go home a more private way than the road, but I got lost! This thing here…"
Severus gestured to the shadow creature at his feet.
"…showed up and seemed to be leading me, I had hoped out of the forest!"
Severus stuck the illuminated tip of his wand into the faun-like creature's face.
"If you are so concerned about trespassers, then I suggest that you go tell the elves that are camping in the woods up the road to leave!"
The creature looked surprised, and muttured something to the others, who responded with guttural murmurings.
"What is your name, man creature?" the young creature asked, much to Severus' surprise.
"Severus," he answered. "Severus Snape."
"You are of the wizardkind that lately came to this area?"
"Uhhh…noooo…," Severus mused, trying to determine just what this creature was asking. Perhaps he meant the fair that was held this weekend -- Elvis and Priscilla had hinted that magickal people would be attending.
"Where are your sire and your dam?" the creature asked. "Where is your herd?"
"If you are referring to my mother and father, they are back in Spinners End, in England," Severus answered.
"Angle Land?" the creature asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"Across the ocean," Severus answered. "The Atlantic Ocean."
The faun-like creature still looked confused.
"It's to the east of here…in the direction where the sun rises."
The creature raised its eyebrows, and said something in his language to the others. The grey-haired creature muttured something that sounded like a question.
"The elder wishes to know, how it is that you are here, and your sire and dam are so far away?"
Severus sighed.
"I'm not sure," he answered, for some reason feeling somewhat ashamed. "It was an accident. I was just sweeping with a normal broom, but then suddenly it started to fly, and I ended up on a boat that took me to a city called New York where I met some kids and we ran away and were taken in by Annie and Benjie who took us to this concert at a place called Woodstock and we're on our way to some place called New Mexico but we stopped here first because the Temples invited us…"
He had no idea why he had felt compelled to spill everything out in that manner.
"So you have a new herd?" the creature asked. Severus looked up at him in surprise.
"Yes," he answered, "when you put it in those terms, I suppose I do…"
"Where is it you say your herd is staying?"
"At the Temples' farm, it's right next to these woods…"
The creature gave him a cryptic look, and then said something to the other creatures. Even though it was in their own language, Severus could clearly make out the mention of the name "Temple". This seemed to impress the others, and even the grey-haired elder lost his gruffness. He made a statement to the young creature in front of Severus, and then he and the other creatures turned and disappeared into the forest, barely making a sound.
"Manisar the Elder has instructed that I remove you from our forest," the young creature stated, abruptly turning and walking away. Severus watched his retreating back, then quickly stuffed his wand into his satchel and ran to catch up. The shadow creature kept to his side.
"It is not often the Shadow Ones keep the company of man creatures," the faun-like creature observed without looking at Severus. "But it is young, and looking for a pack to join."
Severus had to almost run to keep up with the creature.
"Who are you?" he demanded, trying to catch his breath. "What are you?"
The creature stopped and stared at him blankly.
"Your sire and dam do not teach you these things?" it asked. "Your herd does not tell you?"
"No, my mother has many books on various creatures of the magickal world, but there was never anything like you in it…"
"We are not of your world," the creature answered, resuming his trot. "My name is Karwan, of the Gluscabi herd. "Our kind is older than your kind. We were created by Na'api as watchers…guardians of Na'api's creations…"
Karwan stopped and turned to Severus.
"Then Na'api created man creatures," he stated. "At first, your herds were small, and you lived in harmony with Na'api. But then your herds got larger and larger, and man creatures forgot Na'api and the harmony of all things. Man creatures live in herds too large to be harmony even with themselves, and they hurt Na'api…"
Karwan started trotting again, and Severus tried hard to keep up with him. Soon the forest was not so dark, and suddenly he found himself at the edge of the woods, at the back end of the Temple farm.
Karwan stopped at the edge of the forest and turned to Severus.
"Severus Snape, man creature and wizardkind, know this," Karwan stated, gazing at the Temples' fields and orchards. "These man creatures are different. They know the harmony of Na'api. If they continue on the path they have chosen, Na'api will be pleased with them. That is why we are here, we are the guardians and what some say devas of this land. We honor these man creatures called 'Temple" because they honor us and they honor Na'api…"
Severus just gazed at the farm, trying to decipher what Karwan was saying.
"How do you know English, Karwan, and the others of your kind do not?"
Karwan looked down at him, and Severus was surprised to see that he looked embarrassed.
"Sometimes I come to the edge of the forest and listen to the boxes that sing and talk that the young ones of the man herds have," he admitted, shyly smiling and looking down as he scratched one hoof in the dirt. "When they are at the pond, when they swim in summer or skate in winter, they bring boxes that talk and sing, and I stay hidden, listening…"
Severus smiled. He realized that Karwan was actually lonely. He turned to Karwan and stuck out his right hand.
"Thank you, Karwan," he stated. "Thank you for showing me the way out."
Karwan just stared at his hand.
"It is a custom of man creatures to shake hands when meeting and departing, to show good will," Severus explained. Karwan's expression displayed that he did not understand this at all, but he good-naturedly took Severus' hand, and Severus gave him a hearty handshake.
Severus took a step out of the forest, and then turned back to Karwan, who was already retreating back into the forest.
"My herd is leaving in a few days," Severus called out. Karwan turned and looked at him quizzically.
"The people I'm with -- the kids I met and Annie and Benjie, we're all leaving at the end of the week. We're not going to be living here with the Temples…"
Karwan looked surprised.
"I am sorry to hear that, Severus Snape," he answered. "You would find harmony with Na'api here, I think."
And with that, Karwan turned and disappeared into the forest.
But Severus was not alone. As he made his way through the orchard and up the hill to the barn with Steve's loft, the shadow creature kept pace with him, and only turned off into the woods when Severus went into the barn.
Where he was met by the others who wondered where he had gone, and by an irate Azalea who punched him in the shoulder for scaring her.
"We don't know if you run away or kidnapped or murdered or…or…" Azalea shouted at him, before clasping him to her chest and bawling onto the top of his head.
"I tried to take a short cut back by going through the woods at the back of pond," Severus explained as his hair got wetter.
"No one ever goes there!" Steve exclaimed. "It's too thick and dark, people get lost in those woods all the time!"
"Yes, well, I think I did, but then I wasn't, and here I am, so everything is all right," he rambled, trying to extricate himself from Azalea's grasp. "I'm hungry, when is supper?"
Azalea punched him again.
"You don't 'serve no supper, not for scarin' us like that!" she pouted.
But Steve and Dawn observed that supper was probably at that moment being served, so Severus gratefully joined the others who quickly left the barn. He didn't even mind so much that Azalea kept nagging him all the way to the house -- at least she was no longer crying.
After a supper of hamburgers and hotdogs and macaroni salad, they eagerly accepted bags of cookies and muffins left over from breakfast and took them back to the loft.
Dawn and DeWard turned on the TV in one corner and then continued the game of Chutes 'n' Ladders that they had started earlier in the day. Azalea and Yesmina sat in another corner, practicing their knitting and crocheting.
Steve put a record on the player, and then he and Angel decided to do some hay jumping.
When the White Eagle of the North
Is flying overhead
And the browns, reds and golds of Autumn
Lie in the gutter, dead
Remember then, that summer birds
With wings of fire, flaying
Came to witness Spring's new hope
Born of leaves decaying
Severus was tired, so he decided to go to the farthest corner where it was dark, and leaning against a bale of hay, he closed his eyes and thought about what had happened that day.
Just as new life will come from death
Love will come at leisure
Love of love, love of life
And giving without measure
Gives in return a wonderous yearn
Of a promise almost seen
Live hand-in-hand
And together we'll stand
On the threshold of a dream.
He was asleep by the time the song ended, and the others wondered what dreams caused him to smile in such a manner.
When the White Eagle of the North
Is flying overhead
And the browns, reds and golds of Autumn
Lie in the gutter, dead
Remember then, that summer birds
With wings of fire, flaying
Came to witness Spring's new hope
Born of leaves decaying
Just as new life will come from death
Love will come at leisure
Love of love, love of life
And giving without measure
Gives in return a wonderous yearn
Of a promise almost seen
Live hand-in-hand
And together we'll stand
On the threshold of a dream.
THE DREAM
On the Threshold of a Dream
The Moody Blues
1969