Chapter Thirty-Five: To Change your Fate
Jason and Max peruse Merida as they saw they were approaching a ring of stones as Angus stops and and sends Merida flying off into the center of the ring.
"Merida!" Jason yelled as their horse knocks them off next to her.
"Angus!" Merida yells as they notice the horses are scared to enter to stone circle.
"What the?" Jason said looking at the oddly place stones as Merida gasp as they look to see a floating blue light away from them.
"What is that?" Jason asked.
"A Will-o' the wisp" Merida said.
"How odd" Max said as they approach the Will-o' the wisp as it disappears and more began to appear making a trail for them to follow.
"Come on Angus" Merida whispered as the horse hid behind the rock, "Angus!"
"They don't seem to want to enter" Jason said as they began to follow the wisps as Angus circled around to follow them as Jason saw the Will-o' the wisps were whispering something and motioning them to follow as the Will-o' the wisps leads them to a cottage.
"Why would the wisps lead me here?" Merida asked.
"You got me" Jason said as they approached the cottage door as Merida pushed the door opened as their eyes widen to see bear carving in every direction and heard a clicking sound where an old woman is making wood carvings of yet another bear.
"Oh, look around. You holler if you see anything you like. Everything is half off" the woman said.
"Uh…who are you?" Merida asked.
"Just a humble woodcarver" the old woman said as she swept the wood bits off the floor.
"Um…I don't understand" Merida said picking up a bear shaped bowl.
"See anything you like?" the old woman asked making Merida gasp and drop the bowl.
"Uh…"
"Well I must say this is an...interesting...shop?" Jason said looking at a bear doll.
"Maybe a touch of wency can bright up any dim chamber" the woman said gesturing to the bear carving playing on a seesaw as it moved up and down.
"But the Will-o' the wisps they lead me-"
"This one one of a kind! I will make you a deal for this fair prize!" old woman said showing them her bear woodcarvings as Jason, Max and Merida notices the old woman's broom is sweeping the floor by itself.
"Your broom!" Merida yelled as the old woman snaps her finger and the broom falls to the ground, "It was sweeping by itself!"
"That's ridiculous! Wood cannot be imbued with magical property. I should know, I'm a wi…whistler…of wood! Oh! How about this conversation starter! It made of Iron! Toughet stone!" she said holding up a carving of a bear theme Creation of Adam."
Merida, Jason and Max then notice a crow, "oh! Ah uh that crow is stuffed!" the old woman said as Merida goes to touch the witch's crow and as Merida slowly extends her hand to touch the crow it suddenly snaps its beak and speaks.
"Staring is rude!"
"GAHHH!" the three yelled jumping back and hitting the back of their heads on the roof.
"Aah! The crow's talking!" Merida yelled.
"See what else I can do! La-la-la-la-la…." suddenly the old woman snaps her finger and the broom lifts by itself and knocks the crow out and sweeps it across the floor.
"You're a witch!" Merida yelled as they turned to the woman as she was carving another bear sculpture.
"That's it! She is a witch!" Jason said.
"Woodcarver~!" the woman sang.
"That's why the wisp led me to you!" Merida said.
"Woodcarver!"
"You'll change my fate!"
"Woodcarver!"
"You see, it's my mother" Merida said.
"I'm not a witch! Too many unsatisfied customers!" the witch yelled.
"Uh..." Max said.
"If you're not going to buy anything, get out!" she yelled snapping her fingers as all her sharp tools floated and pointed at them.
"No, the wisp led me here!"
"I don't care! Get out! Shoo! Get! Be gone with you!" she yelled backing them to the exit.
"I'll buy it all!" Merida yelled as suddenly the floating knives stop in mid-air.
"What…what's that?"
"Every carving" Merida said as the floating knives suddenly point away from Merida, Jason and Max.
"And how are you going to pay for that?"
"With this" Merida said as she takes off her pendant necklace Elinor gave her before the games.
"Oh, my! Lovely, that is!" the witch said as the crow lands on her head.
"That'll set up for months" the crow said as the floating knives fall as the witch tries grabs Merida's necklace, but Merida pulls it away.
"Every carving, and one spell."
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"I want a spell to change my mom. That will change my fate."
"Done!" the witch said as she quickly grabs the pendant necklace and after agreeing to give Merida a spell the witch walks out of her cottage as the door slams behind them and then walks back towards her cottage.
"Where are you going? What are you doing?" Merida asked
"Never conjure where you carve, very important" the witch said as she opens her cottage door and inside the cottage everything has changed to a witches lair.
"Wow" Jason said.
"The last time I did this was for a prince" the witch said.
"Easy on the eye, tight pants" the crow said.
"He demanded I give him the strength of ten men, and he gave me this" she said as she shows Merida, Jason and Max a coin bearing the symbol of two crossed axes, "for a spell. A spell that would change his fate."
"And did he get what he was after?"
"Oh! Yes! And made off with an especially attractive mahogany cheese board" she said.
"What?" Max said titling his head as the witch brews up a potion in her cauldron as she put on a mask as Merida, Jason and Max approach the cauldron as the witch cover Merida eyes, Merida cover Jason and Jason Max as a bright light flashed.
"Now, let's see, what have we here?" the witch said as she fishes out a tart from the potion.
"Uh…a cake?" Merida said.
"You don't want it?" the witch said,
"Yes! I want it! You're sure if I give this to my mom, it will change my fate?" Merida asked,
"Oh, trust me! It'll do the trick, dearie" the witch said as Merida, Jason and Max walks out of the cottage.
"Expect delivery of your purchase within a fortnight! Oh! Oh! What was that thing about the spell?"
"Did you say something…about…the spell?" Merida asked as she turns to face the witch she sees the cottage and the witch have disappeared.
"This is weird, were back at that stone circle!" Jason said.
"Merida I know you want to change your fate but I got a bad feeling about this" Max said.
"Oh stop worrying, I am not let's her control my fate anymore!" Merida said as both Jason and Max had a bad gut feeling about what was to come.
A.N. Please Review.