Chapter 4: Roped Up

That night, I dream of lying in a winter cabin and drinking hot chocolate near a fire, all cozied up in a blanket with nostalgic music coming from a radio. As I try to take one last sip, the cabin starts to get cold, the fire getting smaller. I stand up to get some more firewood and notice the howling of the wind outside the cabin making the windows tremble. Walking over to the firewood box, I notice that the cabin is starting to get bigger… No, I'm getting smaller. Looking at a mirror mounted on the wall I see that my reflection is of my new body. Shivering from the cold, I press onwards with the radio now getting interrupted by static. I pick up a log, that is a lot heavier than it looks, and drag it towards the fire. The windows start to make cracking sounds. As I throw in the log, the fire begins to regain its strength but when the windows break they let in a gust of snow and cold air, snuffing out the fire. Then follows a heavy knock on the door. I slowly approach the door, fighting against the winds. The closer I get, the louder the wind's howling becomes, but there is something else as well. It sounds like a man’s voice calling out in desperation.

“E…NO…!”

I can’t quite understand what he’s saying. Fighting against the wind, I push myself closer to the door. My hands holding onto the door handle, I push down and abruptly wake up on the straw bed in the farmer’s house with goosebumps all over my body. I’m lying next to Granny, who seems to be spinning some wool on a wooden stick into some string, and Peggy, who seems to be knitting pajamas for her unborn child.

“Oh, look who’s awake,” Granny says. “Are you all right dear? You were tussling about there in the end, did you have a nightmare?”

“I was having a nice dream, but then everything got cold and dark…” I say to her.

“It’s probably because of that nasty storm outside howling through the cracks. The way things are going, it looks like we won’t be able to go out for the next few days.”

Peggy laments, “That’s going to drive the boys insane. They just have way too much energy.”

“Wait, so we won’t be able to leave the house?” I ask a bit panicked.

Granny explains, “No, probably not for another two to three days. I can feel it in my bones that this storm will not blow over for a few days.”

Oh no if I can’t leave that means… that means I might go berserk in here… No! I can’t let that happen… I’ll have to try some things to stop that from happening.

“Is something wrong dear? You look paler than usual.”

“Oh, ehm. I just... Is there some food I could try? I’ve only drank blood so far… and I’m not sure if I can even eat anything else.”

I hear Dick, who is playing a dice game with Pubert, scoff with disgust at my remark before continuing. Granny gives Dick an angry look before standing up and cutting a big slice of bread for me and spreading a thick layer of homemade butter on it.

“Now, we only use this for special occasions but I think someone’s first real food is special enough. Just don’t get used to having it all the time.” Granny tells me while getting a wooden jar out of a cupboard. She takes a long wooden spoon and drizzles golden glistening honey onto it spreading it evenly across the butter. She then licks the rest of the honey off the spoon with a childlike expression on her face.

“All right dear, here you go. Granny’s special occasion meal. Enjoy!”

Hesitant, I grab onto the plate and smell the food. It smells… like bread with butter and honey is supposed to smell, so I take a small bite. It’s good. It’s not amazing but it beats rat blood in the taste department. Unfortunately though, it’s not satiating at all.

“So dear, how do you like it?”

I should probably tell her it’s the best thing ever. I wouldn't want to disappoint her, this is quite valuable to them after all. “It’s ok, better than rat blood, but it’s neither amazing nor filling in any way,” I blurt out before covering my mouth after hearing what I just said.

Getting angry, Dick shouts across the room, “So Granny gives you bread with precious honey and butter on it, and you compare it to rat blood? Have you no shame?!”

“I’m sorry, I was trying to lie but it didn’t work!” I shout back. What the hell is wrong with me? Why did I say that???

At this point, Rose throws a slipper at him and says. “Stop it, idiot. She’s still a kid and it’s not like she can help it either.”

Still confused, I offer Granny the plate. “Sorry, Granny. I didn't mean to be rude.”

“Oh, I know you didn't, dear. Fey can’t lie after all.” Granny answers in a calm voice.

“Wait, I can't lie?” I ask “Like, not at all?”

Granny looks at me surprised again and explains to me, “You are very young, aren’t you? No. Fey are physically unable to lie, though that doesn’t mean they can’t trick people. Being unable to lie, and living for as long as they aren’t killed, just makes them way better at bending the truth. So I’m not mad at you, especially since I know you didn’t mean to be rude. And you can keep eating your bread. It is better than rats after all,” she chuckles.

Feeling a bit unsecure, I ask, “I know nothing of what I am Granny, so could you please tell me what else I can't do or could harm me in the future?”

“Hmm, besides iron and silver, there aren’t many things that harm a Fae Folk that wouldn’t harm a Human. There are things to ward off the Fae Folk though. Like St. John's Wort, salt and religious symbols.”

“Then how come I burn in the sun?” I ask

“Well, there are many different types of Fae Folk with different abilities and weaknesses. Seeing as you’re vulnerable to the sun, I suspect you might stem from the Unseelie court, who are associated with winter and darkness.”

I look at her with a questioning look before asking, “What’s an Unseelie Court?”

From her expression, I can tell that she is less surprised now about my ignorance and more compassionate about my situation. “Well, there are the Seelie and the Unseelie. The Seelie are more inclined to be good-natured and they tend to be out mostly during spring and summer. But they also like to prank Humans, which can be quite dangerous. The main difference between the Seelie and Unseelie, is mostly how sociable they are to Humans; the Unseelie often just tend to attack Humans entering or bothering them in their territories. So in a way, as long as you know where they are, they’re less dangerous than the Seelie, since they try to avoid human contact and don’t tend to meddle in our affairs. But this is the extent of my knowledge about the Fey Folk. I don’t know much else about them dear. Also I–,” She yawns, “need to go to sleep soon. These old bones of mine aren’t as energetic as they used to be.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot that I stay awake during the night and normal people go to bed at that time. So sorry for keeping you up!” I say, “And thank you! You’ve helped me plenty today!”

Feeling slightly hungry, I eat up my honey-butter bread and stand up. While being watched by Shaggy and Dick, I begin looking around and investigate the room for things that could stop me if I do go berserk before the storm is over. There doesn’t seem to be much that would be able to stop me in my blood lust, the only thing that would help is a pile of rope in the corner. Touching it, it seems quite sturdy.

So if they were to tie me up in all of that, I shouldn’t be able t–

“Hey, what are you doing?” A voice says right next to my ear, leading me to jolt up and hit my head on a pan hanging off a hook.

“OUCH!” I say, turning around while holding my head. I looks like it was Pubert.

“Oh sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“G–damn it, Pubert. Don’t sneak up on someone like that…” I say, annoyed, still rubbing my head despite it no longer hurting.

“So, what were you looking at?” He asks me, pretending he didn’t just scare the shit out of me.

Sigh, “I was looking at this rope here to see how sturdy it is,” I answer him.

“Ok, and why do you need to know how sturdy the rope is?”

Shit. He got me. I can’t lie, so what do I tell him? I should probably not just come out and say, “It’s because I’m scared that I might kill all of you if I get too hungry,” I say out loud.

FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCK!!!

Pubert takes a step back, “Wait, what?” He stares at me wide-eyed.

“Eh, well, I’m not planning on doing anything like that. I'm just thinking about what I’d do in case this does happen!” I exclaim nervously.

“I’ve lived out here for the last ten years without being bothered by anyone besides the fucking tax collector and you will NOT be the end of me, you hear that!?” Dick screams from his table, punching the wooden wall and reaching for his pitchfork but Shaggy stops him.

“Calm down, bro. Keep things rational. So, Sam, what do you think we should do with this sudden revelation of you possibly killing us?” He says, with a calm and cold voice.

“I, well… ehm.”

Damn it, Samuel, think. You just have to go on for three more days and then you can eat some cow blood or something. But how to make sure I don’t go berserk…

“So what solution do you see beside us killing you right here?” He presses on, through my silence.

“Well, I could just go outside and try to survive in the storm right? I did that for the last few days…”

Without saying a word, Shaggy opens the door only to reveal a wall of snow.

“Unfortunately, that option doesn’t exist right now. We’re snowed in, and we can’t bury out until the storm stops.” He says, before closing the door again. “What else do you suggest?”

“I well… I saw you have rope over there, so you could just tie me up for the next two or three days?”

He looks at the rope before continuing to speak, “And what then? What will you do afterward?”

Thinking for a second, I answer him, “I want to go to Inverness. Try to get an education, then a job, and work myself up from there. I just need some help to find the place first.”

Shaggy pauses a bit to think things over before continuing, “All right we’ll do that then. As for getting you there…”

“I’ll do it!” Pubert says, enthusiastically.

Dick shouts at him, “You’re not going with that beast, son. Don’t be stupid!”

“But, Dad. I’m an adult now. And someone has to bring the tithe to Inverness anyways.”

After saying this, Dick stands up and with a loud smack, slaps Pubert in the face, “Don’t you disrespect me, boy. I’m the man of this house and what I decide goes!”

With a red cheek and a few tears about to form, Pubert stands up straight and tells his father, “But someone has to take care of Auntie as well as make sure we’re safe. So neither you nor Uncle can go, making this a perfect opportunity for me to go, father!”

Enraged, Dick grabs Pubert by the collar and punches him in the face, “Do you think you’re fucking better than me boy?!” He asks, and then punches him a second time, “What I say fucking goes in this house! Things will not change just because that monster showed up!”

With Pubert barely standing at this point, I feel rage boiling up inside of me. I know what it’s like to be beaten by a father with no one there to help you. Winding up his third punch, I step between him and Pubert, willing to take the brunt of his next attack.

“YOU! It’s all YOUR fault. Bewitching my son, you hag!” Dick, in all his fury, launches his punch.

Bracing for impact I close my eyes, but the punch doesn’t connect. Opening my eyes again, I see Dick’s fist which is right about to connect with my face, being stopped by Shaggy holding him back.

“What are you doing, brother?! Are you conspiring against me as well?!” Dick snarls at Shaggy, who has him in a tight grip.

“No, I'm protecting you from your own fury. Did you forget already that you promised not to hurt her anymore? If you hit her, that’d break the promise and who knows what will happen to you or any of us!”

This seems to calm down Dick enough to stop resisting. Shaggy then leans in closer to Dick and whispers to him, “Also your son isn’t wrong. The way things are right now, we can’t take care of the farm, Forsi’s child, and the tithe at the same time. If the tax collector has to come to us, we will not only have one more mouth to feed, but also have to pay for his travel expenses and whatever else he can find to extort from us. Sending Morgan isn’t a bad idea, and he is an adult now, after all. He just wants to prove himself to his old man, not try to undermine you. Don’t you remember when you were that age and stood up to dad? You even ran off to town without saying anything. At least your son asks you for permission first. That’s a lot more respect than you showed back then.”

This conversation wasn’t meant for my ears, and if it weren’t for my surprisingly good hearing, I wouldn’t have heard anything Shaggy said to him. Nut now I know that Peggy's name is Forsi and Pubert’s is Morgan. I’m not sure what I’ll do with that information, but they don’t want me to know their names, so that must be useful intel.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know?” Pubert tells me, still holding back tears. “I’m a man, you know. This is nothing. Girls shouldn’t get involved in something like this. I’m completely fine.”

I know quite well what it’s like to go through something like this, so I’m not angry at him for not being appreciative. When no one stands up for you, you learn to toughen up until no one dares to deal with you anymore–even if it destroys you on the inside. So instead of scolding him, I give him what I always needed during those times, and hug him.

“It’s all right. You proved you are really strong. There is no shame in not being beaten into unconsciousness, you know. Accepting help from time to time doesn’t make you any less of a man.” After a few seconds of silence, I let go of him and give him some of the snow that’s still on the ground, “Here. Use this to cool your cheeks. It will help against the pain and swelling.”

He somewhat awkwardly thanks me and, not knowing what to say, goes to bed pretending not to look at me, but still glancing at me from time to time.

After finishing their conversation, Shaggy and Dick walk over to me. “All right. I have decided to tie you up until it is safe to go outside, and whenever you’re done with your sick feeding, Pubert will escort you to Inverness. It will be a great learning opportunity for him and will also make sure that someone keeps an eye on you.” Dick says in a snarky voice.

I find it hard to hide my contempt for Dick, but I still accept his conditions and let myself get tied up by Shaggy onto a pillar of the house. If I weren’t sitting, it would look like a scene out of an old Western movie. It’s tight enough that I can’t escape from it but loose enough for me to be able to stand up and stretch my legs when I want to.

Man, Shaggy is a lot different from what I thought he’d be. He knew exactly what to say to keep that asshole, Dick, at bay. I guess it makes sense, though. He was a part-time poet after all. It takes a lot of wits to do something like that, but still. I didn’t think he’d be so logical. I thought he’d be a lot more emotional and passionate. Especially since he’s related to Dick.

Fifteen minutes pass while the family is going to bed. I should have made some preparations to keep myself entertained. This is already starting to get boring. Aaaand now they’ve blown out the candle too. Great. I mean, I can still see them fine, probably even better than with the candle, but it seems kind of rude. I’m still awake after all.

Some more time passes.

I wonder how long I’ve been sitting here now. It’s probably not that long, but it feels like hours. I wonder if I can hum a tune without waking them up. Probably not.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

After some more time passing, I notice Pubert is standing up and walking toward me.

“Hey, Sam. How are you doing?” He whispers to me.

“I’m bored and I’m starting to develop a headache from resting my head on wood, sooooo I’ve been better. How about you? Why are you still up?”

He scratches his head and says, “There are two reasons. For one, I wanted to say thank you for what you did before with Dad.”

“Don’t mention it. I did what anyone would have done.” I whisper back to him.

“No… I don’t think there would be many girls willing to take a punch for me or for anyone for that matter… So I just wanted to say thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, as Pubert sits down next to me. “So what was the other reason for why you’re still up?” I ask to stop the awkward silence.

“Well…” He looks away from me and scratches his head.

“Well?” I ask back.

“Well… Don’t take this the wrong way, ok?”

Wondering what he’s about to say, I egg him on, “I won’t, just tell me.”

Looking away again he says, “Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you… It’s hard to fall asleep when you look at me with those glowing eyes. It’s kinda creepy…”

I look at him irritated and ask, “What do you mean glowing eyes?”

“Well…” He says even quieter than before “Your eyes kind of glow in the dark. Like a cat.”

“Wait, really?!” I shout, before Pubert puts his hand on my mouth. It smells surprisingly tasty.

“Shhhh, I don’t want you to wake everyone up. I don’t think dad would like that.”

Suppressing the urge to bite his tasty smelling hand, I nod. Once he lifts his hand off my mouth, I whisper back at him concerned, “So, how bad is it?”

He shuffles over so he can look straight into my eyes and says, “Well at the beginning they looked kind of spooky, but now that I see them from up close… They look very pretty.”

Surprised, and not knowing what to say I just stutter, “Th-thank you… Pubert…” and look away.

After an awkward pause, Pubert stands up and says, “I should probably go back to bed now…”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan,” I respond. “Good night, Pubert.”

“Good night, Sam,” he says, waving at me before going back to bed.

Well, that was… an experience. I mean… I’m flattered, I guess. But I’m not into guys. Though...What am I going to do if I ever am into someone...Wait a second. I look underaged, and I presumably live until killed by someone else so… Will I keep looking fourteen? Well, that’s not going to be good, is it? That means I can either only date women who are into children or teenagers for all of eternity and that’s just fucking weird in both directions. How would I do that anyway? I mean my dating pool is quite small to begin with. Like if this were a dating profile, I’d have to write non-human, resembling a fourteen-year-old girl, searching for lesbians that are into kids, but wants them to think like an adult. Also, shouldn’t be afraid of blood and death. Yeah… That’s not going to work out too well, and if I do go for someone my age then they'll eventually outgrow me and people will think she's a pedo. Or even worse, I live single for like a few decades and then turn into a pedo because I can only date teens...Gaaaah, what a situation… I’m getting a headache again. I should probably just close my eyes a little and try to nap.

It takes me a while, but eventually, I do fall asleep despite the way I’m sitting and my pulsating headache. That night, if I did dream, I don’t remember it.

I’m woken up constantly by the noise around me, each time for a few minutes before falling asleep again. It’s all a blur, but I do remember the twins poking me before Peggy drags them away. As well as waking up a few times from the sounds of cooking or talking. When I wake up for the final time, I feel something wet and smelly on my face. I open my eyes and see the dog licking my face, even slobbering all over my mouth. I try to put my face away from him but he doesn’t stop, “Please, doggy, stop it. STOP! Eeew.”

I hear a small whimper as the dog is dragged away from me by the neck, “Stop it, Barney,” Shaggy says to him.

Man, I feel like shit. I have a headache, I had almost no sleep, I’m covered in dog spit and I’m tied to a fucking pole for at least one more day. This was a stupid idea. I should have just killed them. Not all of them though. Probably just Dick. But then Shaggy, Pubert, and Barny would probably attack me, and I’d need to kill them too. And then it’s not like the others can survive without them, so I’d probably kill them too out of mercy. Ok, maybe not killing them was the right choice, but I probably shouldn’t have told them about me wanting to eat them. I need to learn how to lie. Or bend the truth or at least... Learn to shut up and not blurt out what I think when it’s inconvenient.

It seems that at this point Rose notices that I’m awake and comes toward me. “Hey there, love. Are you doing ok?” She asks, with a slightly concerned tone in her voice.

“No, not really… I have a headache, I got almost no sleep, and I just feel awful.” I tell her in a desperate voice.

She squints her eyes a little and asks me, “Do you always feel like this when you are hungry?”

“No, not really. It’s never been like this before. Usually, my stomach starts rumbling and hurting and if I don’t eat, I pass out. But this is a lot different. I think it might be because I’ve been around people too long.”

It seems like she is thinking about something and then talks to Granny and Peggy on the other side of the room. I can’t hear what they’re saying because Shaggy is doing some woodwork next to me but after a short time, Rose comes back to me and tells me that if I feel a little bit better tomorrow, I should tell them. I agree that I’ll do so, and she walks away after cleaning my face with a wet piece of cloth.

Waking up early has a nice side effect, at least. I get to watch the others do their daily tasks. A little entertainment like this makes it a lot easier to just sit here and wait. Anything to make the time fly by faster is appreciated. The women are knitting some clothes together while Scarlet and the twins wrestle. Shaggy seems to be working on some piece of furniture, slicing small strips of wood off it, while Dick and Pubert seem to be sitting behind me out of my view making some… scratching noises? It’s kind of hard to tell, but that’s what it sounds like. I hear Dick call Pubert an idiot a few times though, so maybe they’re practicing something? And Barny… He’s sleeping on a blanket. After a while, Rose stands up from the bed she was sitting on to knit and walks over to me.

“I’m about to cook. Would you like to eat with us as well?” she asks me.

“I would like to try it, but I can’t be sure that I’ll like it, so I don’t want to burden you…” I say, averting her eyes.

“Don’t worry, love, I’m sure we’ll find someone to eat an extra portion if you don’t like it, so I’ll just cook some for you as well,” she says, before going back to the stove.

“Thank you, Rose!” I say, and she turns around for a second, gives me a warm smile, and proceeds with the cooking.

She pulls out onions, butter, garlic, an iron skillet, and then some salted fish filets she gets from a barrel. She cuts the garlic into small pieces and scrapes the salt off the fish and back into the barrel. She chops at least ten onions. Then she puts some butter and garlic into the skillet and fries the onions for about ten minutes until they are all glassy and have taken in the flavor. Then, she puts them all in a wooden bowl and fills the skillet with butter, garlic, and fish and fries it till it’s done. She then puts one fish, and a scoop of onion, in each bowl with the men and Peggy getting two fish, and garnishes it with the garlic butter left in the skillet.

“Dinner is ready!” She says, banging a spoon on the pot. Almost instantaneously, everyone in the hut drops what they’re doing and sprints to the table. Ceremoniously, everyone waits for Dick to start eating before touching their food. It seems to be his moment of attention, so he milks it by sitting there for at least a minute, without saying anything, before finally starting to eat. But when he does, everyone besides Rose starts to dig in as well. I watch them gleefully eat up their portion and slurp out the rest of the butter and garlic from the bowl. After they’re done, they thank Rose for the meal and go back to what they were doing. Afterward, Rose takes an old, dirty rag and wipes out any food still left in the bowl. She then takes a stool and puts it next to me, before getting the bowls set out for her and me.

“All right love, I’ve got your food. It's cooled down a little now, so you needn’t worry about burning yourself.” Taking a closer look at the bowl, it seems the fish from the barrel is salmon, and it’s nicely cooked too.

“Thank you Rose. You didn’t need to wait on your food for me though.” I say to her feeling slightly guilty.

“Don’t worry about it Sam, you can’t enjoy a meal without company after all,” she answers with a smile.

Due to my arms being tied under the rope, Rose takes her fork, puts a nice chunk of fish on it, and tells me to open wide, before putting the salmon into my mouth. It tastes pretty good, like a nice home-cooked meal. After swallowing it, however, I feel my belly revolting as if I just ate the most rancid thing known to man. I feel like throwing up, but I try to suppress it to not offend Rose. Unfortunately, without success. A chunk of bloody chewed fish comes back out of my mouth and onto the floor.

“It seems it wasn’t to your liking after all…” Rose says while looking at me a little bit concerned. “I did like it,” I tell her “It’s only that my stomach didn’t agree with it. But the taste is great!”

“Well, I’m glad you liked it,” Rose tells me while cleaning some blood off my mouth with a rag and picking up the fish from the ground.

“Say, what do you think of Pubert?” She asks while eating her fish.

“Pubert? Well, he is a nice guy. We talked a little bit yesterday, but I don’t have much else to say about him. I haven't gotten to know him yet.” Also, he kind of reminds me of myself when I was a kid, but I can’t tell her that.

“I see so… What do you think about his looks?” She asks me.

“His looks? Eh… I haven’t thought about it yet. I guess he is pretty muscular and his face looks like he might be handsome one day. He needs to clean himself more though. He’s pretty dirty looking.”

She smiles a little and says, “So you think he’s handsome? Good to know. I am sure he thinks you’re pretty too. If he’s not leaving, he will be the heir of the farm one day, and he’ll own many cows and sheep. I bet he’ll be quite popular with the village girls.”

“That’s great for him,” I reply, not knowing what to say.

“It’s going to be hard for him to decide which girl to marry but I bet that knowing him for a while before he looks for a bride will help a maiden to woo his heart. I doubt even Dick would object to any bride he brings home for too long. A nice two-day walk without anyone else around would be a great opportunity to get to know someone, don’t you think?” She says, looking at me with a face that just screams, you got this!

“I guess it would be,” I answer her. Pleased with this answer, she smiles, finishes her food, and goes back to cleaning.

Well, that was a situation I’d never been in before. I bet if I said anything else, she’d have married me off to him right here. But hey, at least she seemed to have taken a liking to me… Right? So that’s good… I guess. I’m not going to marry him, of course, but hey, A for effort. If I were into boys, she might have won me over with that. She is pretty convincing after all, especially with those cows and sheep she told me about.

I chuckle a little.

I just hope poor Pubert doesn’t get too attached to me. I wouldn’t want to break his heart and be the one girl he’ll always remember for saying no to him.

I think to myself while watching the daily lives of the family, despite my excruciating headache. It doesn’t take long, however, until I decide to just close my eyes a little and lay my head on the pillar in hopes of easing my pain and hopefully falling back asleep, even if it’s only for a little bit.

After a while, my headache lessens and I’m right about to drift into the dream world when “Waaaaaaaah! Mama, he hit me!” Sniff.

Aaaaaaand my stinging headache is back… I open my eyes again to see Torsten or Torben pull on Scarlet's ponytail, while the other one is pinching her.

“Stop it you two!” Peggy yells while the twins run around in circles around the house, trying to not get caught by her.

“You can’t get me,” one of them says with his tongue out while the other one distracts Shaggy. Running around screaming and laughing, it takes a while before they finally get caught by Shaggy and Dick.

“Don’t you punch your cousin like that, idiot,” Shaggy says with one of the twin's arms firmly in his hand.

“Don’t you hit my daughter again, you rascal,” Dick says, while giving him a slap to the face that could have been heard from a mile away. Though despite the slap, he didn’t start to cry. Instead, he just grins as if he’s used to it at this point.

At the same time, Shaggy asks the twin he caught, “Why did you pick on her, moron?”

The twin just smiles at him with a shit-eating grin and says, “I dunno, I just got bored.”

This seems to have been the wrong answer as Shaggy pulls down his pants, puts him on his knee and starts spanking him. Though, it doesn’t seem too effective as the twin is still just giggling and wiggling around, screaming random sounds.

Wow, Granny was right. They got cabin fever real quick, I think to myself while under immense pain due to my migraine and the kids screaming.

Quick, Samuel. You gotta think of something to make these kids shut up. But what? I know! I’ll just tell them a fairy tale that should entertain them AND shut them up for a while.

“Hey Shaggy, I think I might have an idea on how to entertain the kids for a little while. Maybe that will help calm them down.”

He looks at me intrigued and asks, “And what would that be?”

I try to muster a friendly smile and say, “I’ll tell them a fairy tale.”

Confused, he looks at me and asks, “What is a fairy tale?”

“It’s like a story for kids, to teach them about things that get passed on from generation to generation.”

He seems to ponder about it a little and says, “Sure, sounds interesting. Sit down boys.” Somewhat uncooperative, the boys sit down in front of me looking bored out of their minds.

“You can come and listen too, Scarlet. Just sit a little bit further from the twins so they don’t bother you,” I say to her.

Unsure of what to expect she walks over to me and sits down. After they settle down I ask them, “Have you ever heard of the story of Hansel and Gretel?”

“Nope never heard of them,” one of the twins says

“Me neither,” Scarlet says.

“Well, once upon a time. In a kingdom far, far, away. Near a great forest, there lived a poor woodcutter, his wife, and his two children…” In the beginning, they didn’t seem all too interested. But after a while, not only the twins, but even the adults came to listen to the story. Their faces have a sense of wonder in them. Even Dick seems to shut up and listen to it, pretending he is doing something else. “… And with a bunch of treasure, they go home into the loving embrace of their father, and they lived happily ever after! So, did you like the story?” I ask looking at them with a happy, but slightly bitter look on their face now that the story came to an end.

“Yeah, I loved it!” One of the twins says.

“Especially the part where they threw that witch in the oven!” The other one says.

“I liked the candy house and that it had a happy ending,” Scarlet mumbles, still a little bit shy.

Granny says, “What a great story, dear. Do you have any more stories?”

“I too would like to hear more. Even as a Bard I’ve never heard a story like this, and would love to learn more about it!” Shaggy says surprisingly enthusiastically.

“Hmm, all right, one more story. Once upon a time, there was a little ugly duckling…”

“... Then, he rustled his feathers, curved his slender neck, and cried joyfully, from the depths of his heart, ‘I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling,’ he said. And he lived happily ever after. So how did you like that one?” I ask them and I get an astounding number of requests to continue telling them stories.

And since telling stories is also entertaining to me, and it’s all quiet while I do it, I tell more and more stories. I go deep into the night until the kids have fallen asleep and the adults are carrying them to bed, thanking me for the great stories they heard. It doesn’t take a long time thereafter that I too fall asleep.

I have a nightmare about being Little Red Riding Hood, chased by the big bad wolf. I just keep running and running until he catches me and I feel his tongue licking my face. Going into my nose and I wake up to Barny the dog licking my face. “Ew. Barney! Stop it. Get off me boy!”

Not having slept as much as I wanted to, I still feel tired but my headache is gone. Remembering what she asked me to do I call out to her and she walks toward me. "I'm feeling a lot better again."

"That's great, love. Do you think you are any danger to us now?"

"I...No. I'm slightly parched but not to a point that I think it would be come a problem."

"I'll talk to Dick then and make sure to get you off that pole. It's time for you to find your way home soon after all."

Home huh...I guess it would be nice if I could and see Maggie again. I miss her. It hadn’t really sunk in yet, but not only will I never see her again, but she’ll also not know what happened to me. Always waiting for me to come home. I don’t think her heart can handle that. Same with my dogs, they’ll never understand why I won’t come home; they’ll think I’ve abandoned them. I can just picture Cookie scratching on my door while Scotch jumps against it in hopes that I’m just hiding in my room, only for Maggie to have to open it again and have a mental breakdown. All because of me… I’m so sorry Maggie.

Tears and snot start running down my face as I begin ugly crying causing Rose to turn around again.

What's wrong, love? Was being tied up such a horrible experience?"

"It’s not that...” I say, through my tears, “It’s just, I remembered that I don’t know how to get home and my sister will be sad.”

“Aw, Love. There must be a way for you to find them again. Maybe there’s still a Druid around in Inverness that will help you.”

“D-Do You think so?”

She looks at me confidently and says, “Yeah, I am sure of it. Inverness is a big city after all. There must be people who know the old ways there!”

“And you think they can help me find my way back?” I ask her, a little bit more calmed down.

“Yes, I am sure of it. Now let’s get you untied already. No need to cry any longer.” She walks behind me and opens the knot, slowly easing my restraints until I can finally move my arms again, and push the rope off me. Finally free, I wipe the rest of my snot and tears away, stand up, and finally stretch and scratch that itch I couldn’t reach before.

“Those two nights were unpleasant,” I mumble, while checking for stains on my gown.

“Well but now that that’s done, why don’t we enjoy the evening a little?” She beams, full of excitement, pulling out some cards, colored stones, wood tablets, and dice from a box in the corner.

“Eh, sure. Sounds good,” I say, somewhat perplexed by this sudden change of events.

While putting a tablecloth on top the table, Granny says, “Let us have a departing celebration for Pubert and you, dear. Starting tomorrow, you will leave for the city.”

“Wait, tomorrow? Is the snow already gone?” I ask her, confused.

“Yes, dear. It seems Father Frost came to visit one last time before spring. It’s been sunny all day, which means that spring is near. Most of the snow has already melted away so come tomorrow you should be able to leave. So, let us make this a party great enough for you not to forget us when you leave,” she snickers, patting me on the shoulder.

“Also, I’d like to hear some more of those fairy tales before you leave,” Shaggy mumbles through his beard while preparing the furniture.

“Yeah, we want to hear more stories too!” The twins shouted in unison.

“Me too.” Scarlet whispers, shyly.

“And I’m just fucking glad that I can celebrate you finally leaving my house,” Dick scoffs with a smile on his face as if he just made the best joke of his life.

“And I need some distraction to stay awake all night so I’m able to function tomorrow,” Pubert says, completely ignoring his father.

“All right, sit down everyone, and get ready to be beaten in any game you face against me!” Peggy banters.

What follows is a great night of board games, singing, and storytelling with some alcohol for the grownups and honey cake for everyone, which to my pleasant surprise, I can eat just fine and it tastes delicious! Also, Peggy seems to be a real ace when it comes to board games. She went undefeated in any game that was not based on chance. It’s a good thing I didn’t have to bet anything, or else I’d be stripped of my last shirt by her. But alas, even the most fun of nights must end, so when dawn comes, Pubert and I–the last to stay awake–leave for some sleep.

That night, I dream of riding a roller coaster with Pubert, and then enjoying myself with the rest of the family in an amusement park.