Andy thinks he's lost forever when his aunt's chimney transports him and his dog, Chip, into the magical world of Emerraine. To get home, he must save the Hearthstone Village with Elsie, a young witch, and her Familiar against a dark plot that has b...
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ANDY HAD CHANGED his opinion about the Verfair Timberland. The forest was simply breathtaking—with its rainforest-like trees, rushing streams, flowers, and ferns. Tree branches hung over them as they tread on a dirt path. A family of deer munched on some plants. There was a buck, doe, and fawn. Ears twitching, they looked up from their meal as they passed by. The boy would pause from here and there, stopping by trees to mark their trunks with a permanent pen.
"So that if anything happens, we can easily trace our way back to the village," he said when Elsie couldn't help but ask one time.
The unusual group of travelers turned into an open area of grassy meadows under the canopy of deciduous trees. Andy retrieved from his bag a pack of soda crackers. He would crush each biscuit onto his palm and sprinkle it behind their track.
"Wow, Andy! You sure know a lot of things," Elsie said, and Andy had the urge to boast how he was the smartest and top of his class. Instead, he found himself unable to say anything as a blush invaded his pale cheeks. He wasn't used to receiving compliments from kids his age. He was more likely to receive glares and envious stares from them. And seeing the innocent admiration in Elsie's eyes, his heart filled to the brim with joy—the kind that was different from the bliss of receiving gifts during Christmas and birthdays.
"Uhm, Andy?"
"Yeah?"
"Your last name is Crow, right?"
Andy's brows perked up, which soon turned into a deep frown. He pursed his lips but still hummed a response. He should have known all along that such a blissful moment wouldn't last. Would she bully him the same way as his classmates did? Like how they always told him he was as scary and as broody as a crow. They would sometimes tease him by telling him to dye his hair black and wear contacts of the same color. Curious questions would then follow those goading remarks about why he didn't look like any of his parents... or why he wasn't blond like his mama or black-haired like his papa?
For the second time, Elsie surprised him with her unharmful question and confused him too.
"Then, how are you related to the Crows who used to live in the village?"
His brows furrowed, but he heaved a sigh of relief. "Why do you ask?"
The four of them stopped under the shade of an old maple tree. The area was eerily quiet. No birds chirped. He couldn't even hear the faint gush of a stream and trees speaking. Andy watched the sun set to the west. A slight tinge of orange and pink painted the horizon. He felt like something was going to happen. He was thinking so deeply, but he temporarily kept his head away from those worries when Elsie spoke.
"You see, the family of Crows is known for their great contribution to Hearthstone. But one day, they disappeared without a trace, and the whole village just found their house in that kind of state." Elsie rocked on her heels and stared at the cluster of trees ahead of them.
