It looked like a perfect Saturday morning. Eileen Donovan was off early in the morning to the Pride Mansion; the Pride family was throwing a big party and everything had to be perfect. So Ferry was home with his father. Inside the workshop full of boards, nails, chisels, and other iron tools, Ferry felt like a stranger. He couldn't do much, for he was in danger almost every time. So he had nothing else to do but chatting on and on, the few occasions his father asked to keep him company. After Mr. Donovan was sick and tired of answering to the most unusual questions about the moon, sky, sun, and stars, he finally decided to let him spend the day with Matilda and Ben.
Ben greeted him the moment he saw him. They went to pick up Matilda, for the three of them were planning to go to the hills and play. But right before going out the door, Matilda's father warned her one more time to stay away from the Shepherd's Forest. For some reason, that seemed to be the advice the parents were giving their children increasingly often.
Just to feel safer, Matilda brought Shadow along. No one had mentioned anything since the pet incident. Nor Ferry would tell the strange meeting he had witnessed in his backyard. But he was certain those animals were not just animals. And that they were connected to him somehow.
Now they were walking towards the hills, making a lot of noise, laughing and chatting. Matilda was telling them about Shadow's new mishap (although Ferry knew that his real was actually Sage). The dog didn't seem to pay him any attention. Instead, he was walking behind his mistress as a loyal dog should.
They almost reached the town's outskirts when somewhere ahead a long silhouette appeared. It was looming, blown by the fall's wind. Ferry thought it was just another figment of his imagination and said to himself that no matter how scary that creature was, he would pretend it wasn't there. And he would pass it by as if not there.
But the silhouette was not vanishing and continued to walk towards them. He could clearly see it in the gloomy light of the day.
He closed his eyes, clenched his fists and walked on, praying that the creature wouldn't be the hag of the mist, the omen of death he once met. He didn't go very far for he noticed his friends stopped talking, for some reason. Ferry turned and saw them way behind. They stood still, staring at the floating silhouette. So they could see it, too. Even Shadow could see it. He was snarling without taking his eyes away from the creature.
"Ferry, stop! Come back!" Ben shouted behind him without moving.
Ferry stopped, but it was too late. The tall, thin figure was coming towards him, faster than he could ever imagine. Ferry was so amazed, he couldn't move. It was the first time his friends were seeing the eerie creatures he was seeing.
When the strange being was close enough, Ferry could observe it better. It was dressed completely in purple clothing. By the old-fashioned dress, he could tell she was a woman; a very tall woman. The dress seemed from another era, so old, it looked like the dress of a ghost. Her face was completely covered with a long, thick, almost opaque veil, and Ferry could see her grey hair through that veil, falling down her shoulders like a river, all the way to her waist. She was wearing a big, slouch-hat, also purple. Feathers of all sorts and sizes were decorating her hat, but not the kind of feathers he would see at the usual birds. In fact, he had never seen such feathers, not even in books. That creature was now even closer, so Ferry could feel the perfume she was wearing. She smelled like moist soil, moss, and fresh grass.
"Run, Ferry!" he could hear Matilda screaming. But for some reason, his legs didn't listen as if made of lead. He stood still, holding his breath. The purple creature was so close to him, he could see her breathing, betrayed by the veil which was sticking to her nostrils. But even so, the veil was too thick to see any feature of her face. Still, he could see her sparkling eyes, staring at him from behind the purple veil. Her head started to move slowly, on one side and the other, observing him. And to his horror, her gloved-hand stretched extremely close to his neck. She stopped a few inches away from his chest, waiting to grab the... raven's stone, well hidden under the thick sweater. When she was about to grab him, something hissed in his ear and hit the creature's hand. Matilda had used her sling with extreme precision. The hand retreated and the purple creature turned away and ran on a back street so rapidly, the children lost her.
In a blink of an eye, his friends were right beside him.
"What was that?" Ferry asked, feeling as if waking up from a dream. He felt dizzy and sleepy.
"That was the curiosity of the town before you were born," Ben replied with a serious look on his face.
"You were lucky I was here. Who knows what that witch might have done to you..." Matilda added, polishing her sling on her coat's sleeve.
"A witch?!!"
Matilda started to narrate in a low, mysterious tone, "Her name is Lavender Sky, and she's the oldest woman in town. Those who founded the town found her here, living in her stone cottage, near the northern hills. She's probably more than a hundred-years-old, for she was old even back then. No one ever heard her talking. No one knows how she really looks because her face is always hidden beneath that veil. And no one is ever visiting her."
"She's probably suffering from some kind of deformity or something like that," Ben added.
"Or she's probably so ugly and old she would scare the bravest man in town," Matilda continued. "She comes down the hills from time to time to buy something from the grocery store. She has a garden full of vegetables and an orchard of fruits that grow and ripe all year long, even during winter time. That's why people think she's a witch. How else would you explain it?"
"There is no such thing as witches," said Ben.
"Sure there is!" she cut him short. "You should know better. You're descending from nomads."
"What do you mean?" Ferry wondered.
"Ben's great-grandmother was a gypsy fortune teller," the girl explained.
"That is not true!" Ben protested. "Just because she was working at the circus doesn't mean she was a witch."
"Yes, she was," the girl insisted. "Dad told me so. And your mother has inherited her... gift, it is said. That's why my dad won't let me come over to your place. So she can't put a spell on me."
"My mother is not doing any witchcraft!" Ben shouted with tears in his eyes, taking a run back to the town.
"Ben, wait!" Ferry shouted.
"Let him go," Matilda sniffed. "He's nothing but a weeping boy."
"And you should give him a break," said Ferry and went after Ben.
Matilda was about to say something, but then she changed her mind. She turned around and followed Ferry. All of a sudden shouts caught their attention. Then they saw Ben surrounded by a loud group of children. Billy Pride and Danny Stevens were among them.
"Leave him alone, Billy!" Ferry shouted and in the blink of an eye, he was right next to Ben. Matilda followed, taking her sling out of her pocket. Shadow was also snarling, ready to jump at the slightest sign of the girl.
"Look who we have here, " Billy grinned. "The Weirds," he said, and he started to laugh, followed by the other boys' laughter shortly after.
"If you touch Ben, you'll have to deal with me," said Ferry, trying to look as menacing as possible.
"And me!" Matilda added.
Billy Pride stopped laughing, but he had the same sneering look on his face.
"We just wanted to have some fun, that's all. And guess who we met on our way? The veiled lady. And we thought we should send your friend Ben to bring us a feather from her silly hat. How about that? But now that you're here, the old hag must have gone home by now. All you know is to spoil the fun, Donovan," he said through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, some fun... Stealing from an old woman," Ferry replied.
Suddenly, Billy's eyes sparkled.
"If you're so brave, why don't you take a feather from her hat?"
"How could I? You said it yourself she left..."
"Don't be so hasty. Why not making things more interesting? How about stealing a feather from her hat tonight when she's asleep?"
Ferry was hesitating, "You mean breaking into her house?"
"That's right! Unless you're scared..."
"Ferry, don't mind him. Let's go," Ben interfered.
"I'm not afraid," Ferry said. "Just tell me the time and I'll be there."
Billy gave it a thought, "Tonight, at the witch's house. At midnight. My parents are throwing a party and I'm sure they won't notice me missing from my bed. So we are coming along, Danny and I, just to be sure you won't trick us. And you can't trick us. You won't find feathers like that around here, that's for sure."
"Very well," Ferry agreed. "Tonight you'll have that feather. Better yet, three feathers. And you must promise you will never bother Ben again. Not ever!"
"So be it," Billy agreed and the two boys shook hands. Then he walked away, followed by his group.
"You shouldn't have done that," said Ben in a trembling voice.
Ferry forced a smile, "Don't worry, Ben. He'll get not one, but three of those feathers. And he'll never bother you again."
"Then I'm coming with you. I think I could sneak out the window when my parents are asleep."
"I'm coming, too," said Matilda, her eyes to the ground. "After all, it's all my fault... And I'm bringing Shadow, too." Then she looked at Ben, "I'm sorry about what I said! Friends?"
"Friends!" he said, smiling and shaking her hand.
Ferry also smiled. But the thought of breaking into that old woman's house chased away his good mood. He felt a shiver down his spine when that woman was so close to him. As if she knew what was going to happen. As if she knew they would see each other again. Soon...
Thank you for reading Ferry's tale! Votes and comments are more than welcome. Thank you for being part of this adventure!