Ally Lichen's Friend

18. Takia

Ally could find the house easily enough. Like the rest of the village, it had changed little. The shutters were replaced, and now painted gray, instead of white, but nothing else was altered. It stood, pale green, against the bright red and gold of the leaves. Worn, but the same.

Her heart twinged but in a good sort of way.

"Do you want me to stay out here?"

Ally turned to find Madge watching her closely.

"There's plenty I can explore." Madge continued with an encouraging smile. Flicker licked her chin. "And I thought you might want some time with your mother."

"Oh." Ally considered a moment. "No. You can come in. I don't mind."

Ally took a deep breath and stared hard at the door before her. She knocked.

Silence stretched out like taffy.

Somewhere nearby, a child whooped.

Footsteps shuffled on the floor beyond the door.

The door opened.

A woman stood before them. A woman with a warm smile, bright eyes, and dimples on both cheeks.

Ally felt a rush like a waterfall course through her. Bright and powerful. All at once, she understood why coming home had felt so strange. It was because she had not arrived. Not until now, that is.

Home was in her mother's arms.

"Ally!" Mrs. Lichen's voice was as warm as her embrace. She stumbled back a step as her daughter crashed into her, then held her tightly, pressing her cheek against the top of Ally's head. "Hello, my dear girl. Welcome home."

"Hi, Mama." Ally let out the words in a laugh, and for the second time that day, she was holding back tears.

Nevertheless, she remembered the guest beside her. Ally pulled back, brimful of warmth, despite the crisp air.

"Mother, this is Madge." She motioned to the blonde girl beside her.

"Hello!" Madge grinned and waved enthusiastically.

-------

The next few hours were busy, comforting ones. Ally no longer felt out of step in a place she had once belonged to. She was here, now, just where she ought to be.

Mrs. Lichen was alright, although she had to assure Ally of the fact several times. She was tired and still getting frequent headaches, so a lot of the work around the house had been left undone.

Ally set about fixing that right away.

She settled herself and Madge into her old bedroom at the end of the hallway. She made tea, washed the dishes and tidied the house, and made her mother comfortable. She hauled a cart of wood in to fuel the fire, and when she returned, she found Madge in the kitchen making stew and cornbread.

"I wanted to help, and your mother said it would be alright," Madge responded to her questioning expression. "And you should really be resting your ankle, remember?" The air was alight with purple sparks of Madge's magic, sorting out the spices mid-air, without the aid of measuring spoons.

"It's more than alright." The weariness she had been fighting slipped over Ally, and her stomach clenched at the smell of simmering broth. "Thank you, Madge. Thank you, more than you can know!"

Madge giggled at her grateful expression. "Food." She raised her hand dramatically. "The greatest expression of friendship!"

"Too right." Ally agreed, and proceeded to the living room to collapse in an armchair beside her mother. The relief of taking her weight off her injured ankle was sweeter than birthday cake.