Mirror Me

34: The Town in the Mists

We walked on further into the night until we came upon a narrow valley between two large ledges of broken earth. A moist breeze blew surprising Owen and I with a smell of roses. The breeze brought with it a dense fog so dense that my outstretched hand vanished into a cloud of white and gray. Owen grabbed my arm. His satchel rubbed against my hip. I contemplated asking him if we could turn back, but with a quick glance over my shoulder, the direction we came from was as certain as where we were going. Searching for landmarks, I no longer could see the edges of the valley nor the stars above. Only the shining light of the moon hovered above. The mist had consumed us completely.

"This is not good," I said peering into the fog. "We are even more lost than we were before. At least back there we could see the horizon. Now I feel like we are wandering in circles."

"Don't fret too much," said Owen. "For there to be mist in this valley, there must also be water nearby, an oasis. And where there is water there must also be people."

"I don't see or hear any people. Should there at least be some light. Everything seems suddenly different. Even the moon keeps changing places."

"It is strange, isn't it," said Owen looking up. "Like it is trying to confuse us."

Suddenly from out of the deep fog came a loud sound much like the chiming of a large cathedral bell. BONG. Owen and I stopped.

"What was that?" I cried moving closer to Owen.

"I don't know," he said nervously. The air around us shook and moved. The fog began to shift about our legs consuming the sight of the ground.

"Stay close to me," said Owen stepping in front of me.

Down by our feet, I could feel my shoes beginning to sink in what was once hard ground. Where none had been before, blades of grass started to tickle my exposed ankles. Another loud BONG vibrated the air.

I yelped in fright as the earth next to me opened up and a dead gnarled tree arose into the air. All around us leafless trees sprung up from the barren soil like dark distorted fingers. I twisted my head back and forth observing the landscape changing in every direction.

A third BONG echoed in the air. Before us an archway lurched from the soil until it halted at its base. On its sign said the words, TEMPESTMIST. The earth behind the sign started to crumble as buildings moved upwards from deep below into the foggy sky. Both Owen and I took a step back as the ground ceased its shaking and the dense fog lessened to a light mist. Then at last sunlight appeared where once was dark night. A sudden shift that shocked even Owen.

"It would appear we have arrived at our destination," he said. "Tempestmist." He paused looking at the sign. "How befitting. They got the mist part right. Let's hope for our sake, the tempest does not come."

Cautiously we approached the archway hesitant at the town's mysterious arrival. We watched the street form before us. Carefully laid stones popped out of the dark soil like bubbles in the water. The buildings which had appeared before our eyes seemed to have been built long ago, their foundations worn and the wood splintered. Entering the town, a final BONG ricocheted down the empty street.

Owen and I watched in awe as a final transformation overtook the space around us. From the pale dilapidated building walls, color appeared so fresh it looked as though the buildings were painted earlier that day. The once lifeless trees burst with green leaves, and flowers bloomed from window-boxes high up above the street. Next came stalls filled with merchandise, smells of recent cooking, and finally people began to exit the mist as it rose upwards disappearing into the blue sky. Owen and I remained still watching the people walk around, talk to each other, and laugh as though they were unaware their town had arisen from the ground only minutes earlier.

"Never have I witnessed such magic," said Owen glancing around. He seemed very much impressed.

"It's like something out of a dream." I looked back to the place where we had entered to see a wall of dense fog acting as the barrier between the town and the world beyond. From the archway a small ginger cat weaved through my legs and meowed. I petted the feline and smiled. "Oh, aren't you adorable. Look, Owen, look at the cute kitty." I lifted it up and swung it around. It purred in my arms.

"I see it," he said with an unamused look. The people on the street were glancing and whispering in our direction. "Hope, stop playing with the cat. You are attracting unwanted attention."

"Oh my, newcomers!" came a sweet and innocent sounding voice of a young girl at a nearby fruit stand. Owen and I turned our heads to the stall nearest the archway. A young girl stood pointing a finger at us. Beneath her red hood a large excited grin stretched across her face. "Oh my! Oh my!" she cried skipping merrily to our side, her red cape flapped behind her. "New faces!" Beneath her hood beautiful black curly locks dangled on her neck. The young girl brought her hands and arms together jumping with joy. "I am so excited!"

"Excuse me, miss," said Owen between the girl's joyous yelps. "Excuse me, miss?"

"Oh my, oh my! Travelers from the outside! We don't get many of you anymore. Let me be the first to welcome you." The girl started to shake both our hands. Her endless flow of questions and comments made Owen anxious. "My name is Vanessa. What is yours? Oh don't tell me! Let me guess! George, Ben, Sue, Sally, John, Tracy! No maybe it is one of those weird names. Giles, Virton, Lissette! No, don't tell me! Oh, tell me! Where did you come from? How did you find us?"

"Whoa!" cried Owen. "You need to calm down, miss."

"I can't!" she cried. "It has been ages since another traveler has come to Tempestmist! And just in time for the Rose Festival! It's downright marvelous."

"Let's try this again. Vanessa, was it?" The girl nodded. Owen cleared his throat. "My name is Owen, eh, Owen Matthews, and this is my sister, Hope Matthews." I gave Owen an unsure look but quickly understood. "Our caravan lost a wheel, and we heard a town was this way. We thought maybe someone could help us out or at least purchase a map and new transportation."

"So you're not here for the Rose Festival?" Vanessa sighed. "Oh what a pity."

"Can you help us out, Vanessa?" I asked. "We would greatly appreciate it."

"Well even if I could, you can't leave this town once you enter it. No one can leave it. Not without permission from my mistress, Witch Beatrice, of course."

"What do you mean?" asked Owen.

"Well I am sure you saw it coming in, all that wonderful magic. Our town is hidden by mist so invaders, or Shadows, or even those scary Half-Lives can't find us. The witch, Beatrice, keeps us safe and gives us all we ever need. Food, water, clothes, a home, a place free from disease, and we don't have to pay a thing. She is a powerful sorceress. She brought life to the barren desert. She is good to us. And while no one can ever leave Tempestmist once you arrive, no one ever wants to leave anyway. Who would leave a paradise like this?"

"I have trouble believing anyone can keep us here against our will." Owen began to walk off back to the archway. "Come on, Hope. We are going."

"Stop!" cried Vanessa. "You can't leave!" When Owen reached the archway he faded into the mist, only to reappear moments later.

"That's some magic," he whispered glancing around. "I swore I never turned around. I am sure I kept a straight path. We are trapped."

"I wouldn't say trapped," said Vanessa dancing around. "I say you have found peace. Now come on." Vanessa grabbed hold of my arm. The ginger cat hissed at her. "Let's go meet Madame Beatrice!"

"And what makes you think she would consider an audience with us?" I asked shacking free from Vanessa's grip.

"Because I live there, silly! I am her personal handmaiden. If anyone can get you an audience with Witch Beatrice, it is me."

"It looks like we have no choice then," said Owen as he glanced over at me who was busy loving the cat. He sighed. "We are off to see the witch."

"The wonderful witch of mists," I added to no one's amusement but mine. The ginger cat meowed with excitement.