A Promise Kept
Disclaimer: Same as before...
Narrator: This time when the Baker's wife let out this no less than gut wrenching scream, Pansy could also hear it, and she rushed next door to see what all the commotion was about. The story unfolds.
Joseph heard the knocking on the door, even over his mother's painful screams, which said a lot since they were so loud that his brains wanted to ooze out of his ears. In fact, he wouldn't exactly consider what he was hearing as knocking, but battering. Curious to see what it was all about, he went to open the door.
The sight that greeted him was no less than terrifying. He could tell that it was a woman, but only barely. She was hunched and crippled. At least he thought she was as she needed a cane to get around. She wore heavy hooded robes that almost covered her face and straggly grey hair. The boy secretly wished that the robes did cover everything, because the light from the lamp caught her face.
Her complexion was sallow and her skin was wrinkled, cracked and housed warts. Her eyebrows had grown together so much that they hooded her eyes making them seem black. The woman's nose was so crooked that it seemed like she may have broken it more than a few times, and her lips were thin with dead skin hanging off of them. To top it off, her teeth were snaggle- toothed and she was drooling.
The boy shivered, unable to contain his disgust. Another scream came out of the back room and the boy's shoulders hunched. He was afraid for his mother, and the sight of the old, ugly woman at his door didn't help matters in the least. Turning back to the old woman, he spoke the only thing that came to his mind. "We have no bread." He said in a shaky voice.
Pansy took in the sight of the boy in front of her. She honestly felt bad for him as she was sure that her outward appearance frightened him. Still, he was able to speak to her as if he was in charge of the family business. The boy was strong, and she could do nothing but hope that he would end up being nothing like his father. In fact, she didn't think this family needed to have any chances for future descendants to end up like his father, because, that would be a shame.
Still, she had a hard time believing that the man had given up his own flesh just so that he would spare one of his hands. She knew very well that the boy did most of the work at the bakery while his father did nothing but sit back, curse and complain. So the reason behind giving up his child was definitely a stupid one in Pansy's eyes. She rolled her eyes at the thought. At least some good will come out of this. She would be able st spare at least one of the Baker's children from growing up with a selfish father.
She bent down a little further to get a good look at the boy. He was a smart one, she could see it in his eyes. Smiling slightly she stood a little straighter. "I don't want any bread." She told him. "I'm here to see your father."
The boy stared back at her with a horrified look. He understood now. This woman, was the witch that his father warned him about, but he was confused because the last time he had seen her she was young, and even pretty by his standards. What scared him the most was the thought of what happened to make her look the way she did.
"Why do you need to see him?" He asked. "He's kind of busy at the moment."
Pansy raised her one big eyebrow at the boy, and looked past him when she heard the distinct sound of a wailing infant coming from the back. "Son, I suggest you move aside," She said. "He's not busy anymore."
The boy obediently moved and Pansy limped past him and into the next room. She was saddened to see the sad look cross the face of the baker's wife as she strolled over to pick up the baby that was crying in the crib next to the bed. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but Pansy blinked them back, as she realized how much blood the woman had lost.
"Don't take the Baby!" The baker cried.
"Please!" The woman wailed.
Pansy clutched the child to her as her heart was breaking for the woman. "I will allow you to say goodby to your child." She told the woman.
The baker stepped forward protesting. "Please have mercy! My wife doesn't deserve this punishment!"
She placed the child in it's mothers arms, and Pansy nodded in agreement with the backer. Turning to face him, she sneered at him. "You will leave this room." She said as she followed him to the door.
"I don't understand." He told her.
Pansy got in his face. "Your wife is hemorrhaging." She whispered. "She needs these last few minutes of life alone with the child. It's not like you truly care anyway."
The man's eyes widened in shock as she slammed the door in his face. Pansy flicked her cane at the door and warded it. She put a silencing charm on the room as well so that the bakers angry shouts were drowned out.
Walking back over to the bed, Pansy magically cleaned the woman up as best as she could so that she would be more comfortable. "Are you really going to take my little girl?" The woman asked, her voice raspy from screaming.
Pansy smiled. She was hoping that the child would be a girl. "Yes, I am." She said softly. "But it's for her own good."
The woman frowned. "How is it for her own good when she will grow up without her true mother?"
This time the tears did fall from Pansy's eyes as realization dawned across the woman's face. "Am I dying?"
Pansy nodded. "She needs a mother, and I promise I'll do my best."
The woman hugged the child closer to her. She didn't want this woman to take her child, but she had no choice. The witch was right. Her little girl needed to grow up understanding that she could possibly turn out to be a witch as well. Miss Parkinson was the best person to be able to do that.
"The only reason that I agree with you," She informed Pansy. "Is because Wizardry runs in my family. She needs to grow up knowing that."
Worry pounced on Pansy's heart as she took another look at the little girl. If she did in fact turn out to be a witch, she would have to give her up someday. She didn't want the child to be in pain because of the curse that was laid on her. In case that happened, she needed to get some affairs put in order.
Reaching up, Pansy placed one gnarled hand over the woman's forehead and began to stroke her hair. She seemed to relax a bit at her touch. "What were you going to name the child?" She asked.
Pansy shrugged. "I thought you should do it."
The baker's wife gave her a genuine smile. "I was going to name her Rapunzel. It was my great grandmothers name." She laughed, although it came out as a cough indicating to Pansy that she was definitely in her last moments. "I wonder if the old bat is still alive."
"What is her surname?" She asked.
"Black." She rasped.
Pansy gasped for air. "Is Sirius your cousin?"
"I don't... know. I was... exiled for... being... a squ..."
Pansy watched the woman fall into a deep slumber before she could finish her sentence. Gathering the child into her arms once again, Pansy cried. Her tears were angry ones. She was angry that this nice woman had to die without knowing her little girl, She was angry that the child had a bastard father, but most of all she was angry that she couldn't help the boy as well.
Pansy left the room after the woman's chest rose for the last time and was immediately accosted by an angry baker. "My wife is dead, don't take the baby too."
Baking away from him, she noticed the young boy look up in surprise. Apparently he did not know that his mother had been dying. Pansy growled, hating the baker even more. "I'm taking the child," she sneered. "But for some reason I'm not mollified."
The baker's eyes widened as she stalked out of the house with little Rapunzel still in her arms, and before the baker could follow her, she turned and cast a spell on the house.
Hope you enjoyed it!!!
Disclaimer: Same as before...
Narrator: This time when the Baker's wife let out this no less than gut wrenching scream, Pansy could also hear it, and she rushed next door to see what all the commotion was about. The story unfolds.
Joseph heard the knocking on the door, even over his mother's painful screams, which said a lot since they were so loud that his brains wanted to ooze out of his ears. In fact, he wouldn't exactly consider what he was hearing as knocking, but battering. Curious to see what it was all about, he went to open the door.
The sight that greeted him was no less than terrifying. He could tell that it was a woman, but only barely. She was hunched and crippled. At least he thought she was as she needed a cane to get around. She wore heavy hooded robes that almost covered her face and straggly grey hair. The boy secretly wished that the robes did cover everything, because the light from the lamp caught her face.
Her complexion was sallow and her skin was wrinkled, cracked and housed warts. Her eyebrows had grown together so much that they hooded her eyes making them seem black. The woman's nose was so crooked that it seemed like she may have broken it more than a few times, and her lips were thin with dead skin hanging off of them. To top it off, her teeth were snaggle- toothed and she was drooling.
The boy shivered, unable to contain his disgust. Another scream came out of the back room and the boy's shoulders hunched. He was afraid for his mother, and the sight of the old, ugly woman at his door didn't help matters in the least. Turning back to the old woman, he spoke the only thing that came to his mind. "We have no bread." He said in a shaky voice.
Pansy took in the sight of the boy in front of her. She honestly felt bad for him as she was sure that her outward appearance frightened him. Still, he was able to speak to her as if he was in charge of the family business. The boy was strong, and she could do nothing but hope that he would end up being nothing like his father. In fact, she didn't think this family needed to have any chances for future descendants to end up like his father, because, that would be a shame.
Still, she had a hard time believing that the man had given up his own flesh just so that he would spare one of his hands. She knew very well that the boy did most of the work at the bakery while his father did nothing but sit back, curse and complain. So the reason behind giving up his child was definitely a stupid one in Pansy's eyes. She rolled her eyes at the thought. At least some good will come out of this. She would be able st spare at least one of the Baker's children from growing up with a selfish father.
She bent down a little further to get a good look at the boy. He was a smart one, she could see it in his eyes. Smiling slightly she stood a little straighter. "I don't want any bread." She told him. "I'm here to see your father."
The boy stared back at her with a horrified look. He understood now. This woman, was the witch that his father warned him about, but he was confused because the last time he had seen her she was young, and even pretty by his standards. What scared him the most was the thought of what happened to make her look the way she did.
"Why do you need to see him?" He asked. "He's kind of busy at the moment."
Pansy raised her one big eyebrow at the boy, and looked past him when she heard the distinct sound of a wailing infant coming from the back. "Son, I suggest you move aside," She said. "He's not busy anymore."
The boy obediently moved and Pansy limped past him and into the next room. She was saddened to see the sad look cross the face of the baker's wife as she strolled over to pick up the baby that was crying in the crib next to the bed. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but Pansy blinked them back, as she realized how much blood the woman had lost.
"Don't take the Baby!" The baker cried.
"Please!" The woman wailed.
Pansy clutched the child to her as her heart was breaking for the woman. "I will allow you to say goodby to your child." She told the woman.
The baker stepped forward protesting. "Please have mercy! My wife doesn't deserve this punishment!"
She placed the child in it's mothers arms, and Pansy nodded in agreement with the backer. Turning to face him, she sneered at him. "You will leave this room." She said as she followed him to the door.
"I don't understand." He told her.
Pansy got in his face. "Your wife is hemorrhaging." She whispered. "She needs these last few minutes of life alone with the child. It's not like you truly care anyway."
The man's eyes widened in shock as she slammed the door in his face. Pansy flicked her cane at the door and warded it. She put a silencing charm on the room as well so that the bakers angry shouts were drowned out.
Walking back over to the bed, Pansy magically cleaned the woman up as best as she could so that she would be more comfortable. "Are you really going to take my little girl?" The woman asked, her voice raspy from screaming.
Pansy smiled. She was hoping that the child would be a girl. "Yes, I am." She said softly. "But it's for her own good."
The woman frowned. "How is it for her own good when she will grow up without her true mother?"
This time the tears did fall from Pansy's eyes as realization dawned across the woman's face. "Am I dying?"
Pansy nodded. "She needs a mother, and I promise I'll do my best."
The woman hugged the child closer to her. She didn't want this woman to take her child, but she had no choice. The witch was right. Her little girl needed to grow up understanding that she could possibly turn out to be a witch as well. Miss Parkinson was the best person to be able to do that.
"The only reason that I agree with you," She informed Pansy. "Is because Wizardry runs in my family. She needs to grow up knowing that."
Worry pounced on Pansy's heart as she took another look at the little girl. If she did in fact turn out to be a witch, she would have to give her up someday. She didn't want the child to be in pain because of the curse that was laid on her. In case that happened, she needed to get some affairs put in order.
Reaching up, Pansy placed one gnarled hand over the woman's forehead and began to stroke her hair. She seemed to relax a bit at her touch. "What were you going to name the child?" She asked.
Pansy shrugged. "I thought you should do it."
The baker's wife gave her a genuine smile. "I was going to name her Rapunzel. It was my great grandmothers name." She laughed, although it came out as a cough indicating to Pansy that she was definitely in her last moments. "I wonder if the old bat is still alive."
"What is her surname?" She asked.
"Black." She rasped.
Pansy gasped for air. "Is Sirius your cousin?"
"I don't... know. I was... exiled for... being... a squ..."
Pansy watched the woman fall into a deep slumber before she could finish her sentence. Gathering the child into her arms once again, Pansy cried. Her tears were angry ones. She was angry that this nice woman had to die without knowing her little girl, She was angry that the child had a bastard father, but most of all she was angry that she couldn't help the boy as well.
Pansy left the room after the woman's chest rose for the last time and was immediately accosted by an angry baker. "My wife is dead, don't take the baby too."
Baking away from him, she noticed the young boy look up in surprise. Apparently he did not know that his mother had been dying. Pansy growled, hating the baker even more. "I'm taking the child," she sneered. "But for some reason I'm not mollified."
The baker's eyes widened as she stalked out of the house with little Rapunzel still in her arms, and before the baker could follow her, she turned and cast a spell on the house.
Hope you enjoyed it!!!