CHAPTER ONE
Harvest, Day 10
The wind had picked up as dark clouds brewed towards the horizon, casting their shadow over a stray fishing vessel.
Her father's boat, Theresa mulled as she sat on the pebbly beach.
She had been searching for seashells, with the aim of cleaning them up as keepsakes for her home. But now that was the last thing she wanted to do as a wariness had seeped into the pit of her stomach.
Why couldn't she quash the feeling? Father had been out to sea multiple times, during worse weather events. She was not naturally an anxious person. She had even been praised for her sense of calmness.
And yet, something gnawed at her, ferociously. A remnant of the nightmares that had stalked her sleep for nights on end. Nightmares that felt they were leading to something, a sense of future truth. But she could not remember one lick of detail. It was frustrating.
"Something on your mind?" A mellow voice called from behind her. Theresa whipped her head to view a strange sight, an old woman wrapped in black rags - wet sand sticking and small red crabs scuttling across her shoulders. She wasn't so sure what to make of the situation in front of her.
The woman, accepting Theresa's silence, moved to the shore and gently picked up the crabs and laid them in the shallow water. "Crabs are wonderful little creatures," the woman started.
"They are true selfless heroes of the hearth. Making sure their families are well fed and protected, well before they even consider their own self." She looked out towards the horizon, towards Theresa's father. "I saw a very familiar look on your face, a sense of worry. Don't worry, your father will be safe and sound in a short while."
Her father's boat was now moving towards the village of Oakvale's small port. The dark clouds dissipated.
The old woman looked back at Theresa and smiled, a toothless grin.
It then dawned on Theresa, this was Mother Toad, the witch in the woods all the children in the village were afraid of. The woman did not strike Theresa as someone who was bad. Whether that was naïve of her, she didn't know. But she could sense something deeper regarding the woman, a hidden gentleness.
Quickly, without thinking she asked, "can you see the future?"
Mother Toad laughed. "I've heard some stories about myself, but that one's new. No, although I knew someone once who could." She watched Theresa with a keenness, that felt strange and unnerving. "Can you see the future, Theresa?"
How did Mother Toad know her name? And what kind of question was that?
Theresa slowly shook her head.
"Hmm." Mother Toad crooned and then searched her pockets, presenting an object, shaped like an egg and wrapped in golden satin paper. "A present, for a girl, who like a crab protects the hearth. I hear you like chocolate."
Theresa took the gift with a reserved meekness. "Thank you. I don't know what to say…"
"No need for politeness." Mother Toad said. "I-
The old woman's attention was stolen.
Up on the cliff's bluff above them was Theresa's mother, Scarlet, a striking figure in red. From her stance, Theresa had a sinking feeling that Mother Toad was not a welcoming sight.
"You best go to your mother, Theresa."
"But-"
"Please go."
Theresa ran up the hill to her mother's right side. "Mother! Papa is sailing home now."
Her mother's voice was strained, "what did that woman want?"
"Oh-" Theresa felt like she should omit the truth about the chocolate. "She was just teaching me facts about crabs."
"Very well, head back home. Your brother needs assistance with writing a letter for the schoolmaster."
"Yes, mother."
Before leaving, Theresa took one last look of Mother Toad. The old woman appeared small, lonely and sad.
It was dark now, and her father and brother were sound asleep. Her brother had crept into her father's bed earlier for a bedtime story, only to quickly fall asleep on father's chest.
Mother was still awake, oiling her sword under the dimness of candlelight. Theresa pretended to sleep, noting she would get in trouble for staying awake on a school night.
Her mother sighed, packed up her small rucksack and opened the front door, taking one last look at Theresa before walking determinedly out of the house. Curious, Theresa waited with bated breath and then slipped on her jacket and a pair of shoes before following her mother.
Her mother was quick, but Theresa could be quick too and quiet. She had learnt how to silently move through the woods, so she could spy on the local wildlife and find delicious eggs without any mother bird accosting her.
She followed her mother down by the fields and through the woods, near an old cemetery. The light from the moon shining down as a beacon.
Where was her mother going?
Just as she internally asked herself that question, a small hut appeared at the edge of the woods. She could hear the echoing of wind chimes, and then a door creaked open, with an old woman appearing from the precipice of the hut. Mother Toad.
Her mother followed the old woman inside, and Theresa found a window to peer at what was going on within.
It was a cosy hut, with only one room for a small kitchen and table strewn with various herbs, a sleeping pallet, tall shelves adorned with books, and a solitary rocking chair. Her mother stood over Mother Toad, arms crossed.
Mother Toad tittered, "so you have finally answered my calls."
"Just speak, I'm tired of your games." Her mother sternly said.
The old woman sighed. "No games, my child. The pillars are crumbling, the barriers breaking. He is searching… I don't think I can repair them as quickly as I once did."
"That is your job."
Mother Toad moved to the kitchen table, pointing to multiple broken glass bottles with a golden ooze leaking. "I do not have enough ingredients for my elixir anymore, meaning I can not bolster my powers. I would need to travel to Samarkand again, and I don't think the barriers can hold that long… Scarlet, I'm not powerful enough. You must seek Maze's help."
"This-" her mother's voice cracked. "Is the main reason why I allowed your presence here in the first place. And on the condition that you would leave my family alone. How dare you-"
Her mother shook her head, tears falling. Mother Toad tried to comfort her, but her mother swiftly pulled away. "I only asked you to do two things crone. The next time I see you speaking with my daughter, no – even being in the presence of any of my family members. I will wring your neck and throw you into a balverine's den."
Mother Toad stood rigidly. "I see."
"You see. You hear. You do." Her mother spat. "What was my other task, so we're clear on your role here."
"Theresa will not remember her nightmares."
Shocked, Theresa let out a gasp. Both sets of eyes quickly turned their attention to the window where Theresa stood. Terrified of being caught out, Theresa cut loose and ran back through the woods to her home.
In the morning Theresa woke up and felt something strange sticking out from behind her pillow. She picked up her pillow and peered at a coarse doll made from straw, with red yarn for hair.
Strange.
And strange that she could not remember the events from the day before. Father must have made some strong mulled wine last night.
Her mother left Oakvale five days later.
