Heather wakes to the smell of lamb cooking and fresh cherries. As she opens her eyes she can see the room is brighter then it was before she fell into slumber and can now make out more of the detail. The room looks like an old log cabin, a neatly kept one at that. There is a door leading out, over to her left as well as a door leading to another room. There are shelves lined with jars, filled with herbs as well as unrecognizable substances to the right of her. She sits at a table with her feet and hands tied too a chair. A plate of roasted lamb and a bowl of fresh cherries sits in front of her.
Heather looks across the table to see her mother sitting there. "Mommy! Please help me! The old woman wishes to steal my dreams!" screams Heather.
"You are too precious." says the woman.
As Heather's eyes become more adjusted to the light she catches sight of the green piercing eyes and realizes this is not her mother. The woman however, looks amazingly like her mother in both appearance and age. She is very beautiful with long dark brown hair and olive skin. She stands across from Heather with a pleasant smile on her face.
"I must go shopping now dear, for our ritual tonight. Try to eat something no need to strave yourself." say teh woman as she walks toward the door leading out.
"Are you the old woman's daughter?" asks Heather.
The woman looks back with a smile and then walks out closing the door behind her. Heather listens to the woman's foot steps as she walks away.
"That was teh old woman." says. a voice.
"Who said that?" asks Heather a little bewildered.
"Bishop is the name. I use to be a bishop until I accused teh old woman of practicing withcraft. It looks like I was right." says the voice.
"Where are you?" asks Heather.
At that moment a crow flys down form the rafters and lands on the table in front of Heather.
"Right here." says Bishop.
"A Bird?!" says Heather.
"Well, I wasn't always a bird dear. The old witch turned me into one the day after I accused her of practicing witchcraft. They dropped all teh charges against her that same day. They were too afraid to pursue them I think. Can't say I blame them." say Bishop.
"Why did you think she was a witch?" asks Heather.
"The children in our village began showing signs of odd behavior. They walked around like the living dead. They stopped playing games, stopped pretending, stopped being children. Around this time the old woman had moved a few miles outside of town. None of these things had occurred until she moved near our town, so I decided to investigate her. After several attempts of calling on her in the morning without any response I decided to pay a visit to her at night. I came upon her cabin, saw a light from an open window and heard strange tongues being spoken. I crept up to the window and at that moment beheld the ritual, the stealing of dreams. The next day I alerted the town. They went out to arrest her, but only found a small child at her cabin when they arrived. I didn't know it then, but the child was her. It was part of her cycle." say Bishop.
"Her cycle?" asks Heather.
"Yes, the old woman doesn't abide by the laws of time and space like you do and like I did once, she has found an way to separate herself form the laws. In doing so she is not bound by them, therefore she can travel to any time and place. However, the price for this is that she must live an entire lifetime in one day's time. At midnight she turns into an infant by morning she is a maiden, by noon middle aged and by night an old woman. I have thought many times of killing her as an infant to free myself of this curse. However, when It came to the moment I couldn't do it. I'm not a killer. The only reason that I alerted the town, knowing what they'd do to her, was to save the children." says Bishop.
"How sad." says Heather
"Yes well, taht is the past. Now lets see about getting you free." says Bishop.
Bishop begins pecking at the rope on Heather's right hand. After and hour her hand is free. Bishop brings a knife to Heather. she cuts herself free with the knife adn rubs her sore wrists.
"Now go quickly." says Bishop.
Heather runs for the door leading out, opens it and runs outside. She runs down the steps and square into the witch.
"Looks like I came back just in time." say the witch.
Heather trys to get past her, but the witch is too fast and strong. The witch grabs her and puts a cloth smelling of herbs over her nose and mouth.
"Now how did you get free?" asks the witch.
Before Heather can answer she once again falling into slumber.
Heather wakes. The room is dimly lit once again, the fire form the fireplace the only lighting. Has her dreams been stolen? She wonders. As she looks around the room she can not see any sign of the witch. However, as her eyes become more ajusted to the light she can see that the stage had been set for the ritual.
her hands and legs are shakled to a chair taht looks like a giant hand. As she looks at her skin she can see that strange symbols have been written all over her body and that all her clothes have been removed. she is surrounded by white unlit candles set in a circle. A blue orb sits on a small table in front of her, along with bowls of herbs, a small cauldron and a goblet.
At that moment Bishop flys down, lands beside Heather and places a key in her hand.
"Good you're awake. Now free yourself and put your clothes on. They are over there on the chair by the fireplace." says Bishop,
Heather unlocks her shakles, scampers over to the fireplace and begins to put her clothes on.
"What happened? Did she steal my dreams?" asks Heather.
"No, I slipped a sleeping mixture into her goblet. She is asleep in teh next room." says Bishop.
Heather finishes putting her clothes on. Bishop flys over next to her.
"You know your're goinhg to have to kill her." says Bishop.
"No." whispers Heather with a dismayed look on her face.
"You must girl. Even if you run she will find you and steal your dreams. I don't know how many more times I will be able to help you. I have had some close calls with her already." says Bishop.
"No, I can't." says Heather.
"If you don't you'll end up one of teh liveing dead, like the rest of the children and I will be cursed to remain a bird for eternity." says Bishop.
Heather looks at Bishop with a great fear in her eyes.
"There's a knife over on the table with the goblet. I believe its only a few hours past midnight she should still be young enough, you must hurry." says Bishop.
Heather walks slowly over to the table and sees the knife laying there. She slowly picks it up by the handle and looks at Bishop.
"Quickly." says Bishop.
Heather walks over to the door and enters teh room. Teh room is dark, lit only by the moonlight entering the window and by the dying ambers from teh fireplace in the room. She looks at the bed and sees a lump under the covers. She walks slowly over to the side of the bed, being careful not to make a sound. Her hands trembling she raises teh knife and plunges it into the sleeping figuare. At that moment a match is lit and placed to a candle wick. The room fills with candle light.
" I remember how scared I was at that moment, teh moment you're in now, and how discussed I was that I had to do such a thing. I felt like falling to my knees and throwing up." says a young female voice.
Heather looks over to where the new light is coming from. There sits a girl teh mirror image of herself.
"You know what else I remember? My dreams. I've gotten so caught in my daily life over the years that I had forgotten them all adn had no idea how to get them back. If you don't manifest your dreams into the physical world they soon get crushed under day to day survival. Please, Heather don't forget you dreams. Manifest them. Otherwise you will be doomed to my fate. Caught in between worlds, never being able to manifest your dreams, never being able to dream, and never finding happiness." says the girl.
She looks so sad sitting there. Heather can't help but to look at her in a long silence feeling sorry for her.
"You should go now." says the girl.
Heather walks slowly toward the door and then turns at the enterance to the room.
"What about Bishop?" asks Heather.
"Who? Oh yes the bird. Well, I guess he has been punished enough. I will turn him back in the morning and send him back to where he belongs." says the girl.
"Thank you." says Heather.
The girl looks at Heather with her saddened eyes and with a hint of desperation in her voice says."Remember this night."
Heather turns, opens the door leading out and heads down the path. As she gets further down the path things begin to look familiar. She can see her home off in the distance. She is so excited she begins to run. As she runs she asks her self. "Why did I ever leave it? Why did I spend so much time in the hills. Something about an old woman and a bird. Ah, It must have been a dream."
Heather looks across the table to see her mother sitting there. "Mommy! Please help me! The old woman wishes to steal my dreams!" screams Heather.
"You are too precious." says the woman.
As Heather's eyes become more adjusted to the light she catches sight of the green piercing eyes and realizes this is not her mother. The woman however, looks amazingly like her mother in both appearance and age. She is very beautiful with long dark brown hair and olive skin. She stands across from Heather with a pleasant smile on her face.
"I must go shopping now dear, for our ritual tonight. Try to eat something no need to strave yourself." say teh woman as she walks toward the door leading out.
"Are you the old woman's daughter?" asks Heather.
The woman looks back with a smile and then walks out closing the door behind her. Heather listens to the woman's foot steps as she walks away.
"That was teh old woman." says. a voice.
"Who said that?" asks Heather a little bewildered.
"Bishop is the name. I use to be a bishop until I accused teh old woman of practicing withcraft. It looks like I was right." says the voice.
"Where are you?" asks Heather.
At that moment a crow flys down form the rafters and lands on the table in front of Heather.
"Right here." says Bishop.
"A Bird?!" says Heather.
"Well, I wasn't always a bird dear. The old witch turned me into one the day after I accused her of practicing witchcraft. They dropped all teh charges against her that same day. They were too afraid to pursue them I think. Can't say I blame them." say Bishop.
"Why did you think she was a witch?" asks Heather.
"The children in our village began showing signs of odd behavior. They walked around like the living dead. They stopped playing games, stopped pretending, stopped being children. Around this time the old woman had moved a few miles outside of town. None of these things had occurred until she moved near our town, so I decided to investigate her. After several attempts of calling on her in the morning without any response I decided to pay a visit to her at night. I came upon her cabin, saw a light from an open window and heard strange tongues being spoken. I crept up to the window and at that moment beheld the ritual, the stealing of dreams. The next day I alerted the town. They went out to arrest her, but only found a small child at her cabin when they arrived. I didn't know it then, but the child was her. It was part of her cycle." say Bishop.
"Her cycle?" asks Heather.
"Yes, the old woman doesn't abide by the laws of time and space like you do and like I did once, she has found an way to separate herself form the laws. In doing so she is not bound by them, therefore she can travel to any time and place. However, the price for this is that she must live an entire lifetime in one day's time. At midnight she turns into an infant by morning she is a maiden, by noon middle aged and by night an old woman. I have thought many times of killing her as an infant to free myself of this curse. However, when It came to the moment I couldn't do it. I'm not a killer. The only reason that I alerted the town, knowing what they'd do to her, was to save the children." says Bishop.
"How sad." says Heather
"Yes well, taht is the past. Now lets see about getting you free." says Bishop.
Bishop begins pecking at the rope on Heather's right hand. After and hour her hand is free. Bishop brings a knife to Heather. she cuts herself free with the knife adn rubs her sore wrists.
"Now go quickly." says Bishop.
Heather runs for the door leading out, opens it and runs outside. She runs down the steps and square into the witch.
"Looks like I came back just in time." say the witch.
Heather trys to get past her, but the witch is too fast and strong. The witch grabs her and puts a cloth smelling of herbs over her nose and mouth.
"Now how did you get free?" asks the witch.
Before Heather can answer she once again falling into slumber.
Heather wakes. The room is dimly lit once again, the fire form the fireplace the only lighting. Has her dreams been stolen? She wonders. As she looks around the room she can not see any sign of the witch. However, as her eyes become more ajusted to the light she can see that the stage had been set for the ritual.
her hands and legs are shakled to a chair taht looks like a giant hand. As she looks at her skin she can see that strange symbols have been written all over her body and that all her clothes have been removed. she is surrounded by white unlit candles set in a circle. A blue orb sits on a small table in front of her, along with bowls of herbs, a small cauldron and a goblet.
At that moment Bishop flys down, lands beside Heather and places a key in her hand.
"Good you're awake. Now free yourself and put your clothes on. They are over there on the chair by the fireplace." says Bishop,
Heather unlocks her shakles, scampers over to the fireplace and begins to put her clothes on.
"What happened? Did she steal my dreams?" asks Heather.
"No, I slipped a sleeping mixture into her goblet. She is asleep in teh next room." says Bishop.
Heather finishes putting her clothes on. Bishop flys over next to her.
"You know your're goinhg to have to kill her." says Bishop.
"No." whispers Heather with a dismayed look on her face.
"You must girl. Even if you run she will find you and steal your dreams. I don't know how many more times I will be able to help you. I have had some close calls with her already." says Bishop.
"No, I can't." says Heather.
"If you don't you'll end up one of teh liveing dead, like the rest of the children and I will be cursed to remain a bird for eternity." says Bishop.
Heather looks at Bishop with a great fear in her eyes.
"There's a knife over on the table with the goblet. I believe its only a few hours past midnight she should still be young enough, you must hurry." says Bishop.
Heather walks slowly over to the table and sees the knife laying there. She slowly picks it up by the handle and looks at Bishop.
"Quickly." says Bishop.
Heather walks over to the door and enters teh room. Teh room is dark, lit only by the moonlight entering the window and by the dying ambers from teh fireplace in the room. She looks at the bed and sees a lump under the covers. She walks slowly over to the side of the bed, being careful not to make a sound. Her hands trembling she raises teh knife and plunges it into the sleeping figuare. At that moment a match is lit and placed to a candle wick. The room fills with candle light.
" I remember how scared I was at that moment, teh moment you're in now, and how discussed I was that I had to do such a thing. I felt like falling to my knees and throwing up." says a young female voice.
Heather looks over to where the new light is coming from. There sits a girl teh mirror image of herself.
"You know what else I remember? My dreams. I've gotten so caught in my daily life over the years that I had forgotten them all adn had no idea how to get them back. If you don't manifest your dreams into the physical world they soon get crushed under day to day survival. Please, Heather don't forget you dreams. Manifest them. Otherwise you will be doomed to my fate. Caught in between worlds, never being able to manifest your dreams, never being able to dream, and never finding happiness." says the girl.
She looks so sad sitting there. Heather can't help but to look at her in a long silence feeling sorry for her.
"You should go now." says the girl.
Heather walks slowly toward the door and then turns at the enterance to the room.
"What about Bishop?" asks Heather.
"Who? Oh yes the bird. Well, I guess he has been punished enough. I will turn him back in the morning and send him back to where he belongs." says the girl.
"Thank you." says Heather.
The girl looks at Heather with her saddened eyes and with a hint of desperation in her voice says."Remember this night."
Heather turns, opens the door leading out and heads down the path. As she gets further down the path things begin to look familiar. She can see her home off in the distance. She is so excited she begins to run. As she runs she asks her self. "Why did I ever leave it? Why did I spend so much time in the hills. Something about an old woman and a bird. Ah, It must have been a dream."