nightmare in black as she saw William. "This is William. William, please meet Babs, my bestest girlfriend. Or Baba Yaga as she is known to most."
The book salesman of course had heard, or rather read about Baba Yaga. There had been drawings of the witch in some of them, but none of them did any credit to her as she stood there in real life. He was too stunned and appalled to faint or run away. Instead he did the only right thing.
"Baba Yaga. I have heard a lot about you. Pleased to meet you." William did wonder if he should offer her his hand. He was not convinced she'd give it back.
"As long as it's only bad things, then I'm happy," the ghastly witch cackled, giving William the creeps. "Can't have people thinking good things about us, can we, Hilly baby?"
Baba Yaga sat down again. A kettle with tea flew in from the kitchen, closely followed by a tray of cookies.
"Come sit, William," Hilda said with a smile, patting the seat of the chair next to her. He took off the black cloak and then sat down, stumped by her sudden almost affectionate behaviour.
"This is the man I talked about this morning, Babs," Hilda continued. "This is who I knocked out."
Baba Yaga looked William over inch by inch. "Nice garb," she said, "but hardly what he's supposed to wear, is it? Not much magic in him. So where'd you dig him up?"
Hilda looked at William, a blush on her face. He understood that she had not told her bestest girlfriend about the strange visit to his world, so he winked at her. "Do you tell her, or will I tell her?"
Hilda's eyes became large for a moment. "I'll tell her. Just tell me when I forget something, okay?"
William nodded and got up to pour tea for everyone as Hilda started telling Baba Yaga about the strange happenings that she had encountered so many years ago. Baba Yaga's eyes probably also became bigger and bigger, but he was not able to discern them between the folds of her wrinkles.
When Hilda reached the point where it became clear that William had been the only person that could get her back to her own world, Baba Yaga asked him if he by chance was magical in his own world.
"No, I'm afraid not. I deal with books, not with magic."
Hilda then went on telling Babs about how she came back and how she somehow had brought William to their own world. "And since I got him here, I have taken him in and put him in a room. Of his own," she added a bit snippy.
This of course caused Baba Yaga to cackle again. "Well, that is quite an adventure you've been holding from me, Hilda," she said with a grin. "And now you have him here, what do you plan to do with him?"
William frowned. He was not used to be talked about as if he was not there, or a mere piece of furniture that had been acquired. Still he looked at Hilda, as he was also very interested to hear her answer.
11. What to do with William?
Hilda looked at Babs, then at William, then at her teacup, from where the goldfish looked up also, waiting for her answer.
"You make it sound as if I wanted to get him here," she said to Baba Yaga with a small pout, and a hint of accusation in her voice.
The Russian witch just smiled. "I say nothing. I ask a question and you are going to answer it. It appears to me that William would like to know also, Hilly."
William nodded, which earnt him a mean look from Hilda. "Careful, buster, there is enough room against the wall," she warned him. "And you are not going to stop me. It's only the dress, not the abilities you wear. Remember that."
William raised his hands as in defense. "Okay, okay, no need to get excited. I have seen what can happen when you get excited."
Baba Yaga screamed for cackling laughter. "I love the boy," she yelled out, "if you don't want him, I'll take him off your hands, Hilda!"
William's heart almost stopped beating. He would prefer death than be with Hilda's best girlfriend.
The wicked witch raised her eyebrows. Then she looked at William, as if she was examining him, seeing him for the first time. It felt to the subject under scrutiny as if Hilda was going over him even more thoroughly than Babs had done. "Nah, I'll keep him for now," was her conclusion.
William's heart took heart and resumed full responsibility for life again.
"I am teaching him to fly a broom," Hilda giggled then. "We were out doing the rounds this morning. And he keeps himself well on a broom." She had to give Baba Yaga the full account of how they had scared the shit out of the shepherds, to which the Russian witch treated William to a deafening and bloodchilling cackle again. It did not bother Hilda one bit, as her being a witch rendered her immune to the impact of it, contrary to what it did to ordinaries.
After she had calmed down, Baba Yaga looked at William. "You are probably not aware of the compliment she gave you just now, about keeping yourself on the broom, Willaim. Take it from me, you can't get much better from her than that."
Hilda seemed to ignore the entire remark. "So you see, I got a bit upset and that got me a guest in the house."
Baba Yaga nodded.
"And there is more to be upset about." Hilda told about the disappearance of Gerdundula and the visit of a giant Lamador in the garden there.
"Ouch. That is definitely worrying, Hilda," Baba Yaga agreed. "If he sends out his Grizbles like that. And you floored one?", she asked William.
He showed his red and partly skinless knuckles. "Yes. Still bear the medals for it."
Baba Yaga looked at Hilda. "And you let him walk around with that? After he caught the thing?"
Hilda looked guilty. "Yes," she admitted.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
"Alright... give me your hand," Hilda said to William.
She did not need a wand. She murmured something, blew over his knuckles and the skin was healed, the red streaks were gone, as was the pain. "There. Good as new." She stared at the hand a while longer before she let go of it. Then she looked at the visiting witch again. "So Lamador is heavily on the prowl. He is taking witches out, probably to boost himself. And I'm- not very happy with that," she changed the ending of her words.
The ugly witch made the teapot go round for refills as she was thinking about everything that Hilda and William had told her.
"Hmmm..." After a while: "Yeah...", combined with some nodding of her head.
William looked at Hilda, his face all questions. She shook her head and and gestured him to remain silent.
Babs nodded again. "I think the solution is quite simple, Hilly baby. You asked for help and you cast magic. Then William came. So you got your help in that form. There must be something he can do, or that he knows that can help you."
A true unbeliever, Hilda stared at the other woman. "Please, Babs, go kid someone else and not me. I mean..." She took William's hand and held it up. "Is he going to whack Lamador in the face and decide the challenge that way for me?" She put the man's hand on the table again, forgetting to take hers off it. "I don't think so."
William stared at the small fine hand that calmly rested on his as Hilda kept talking with Baba Yaga.
Babs noticed it too, but did not make a remark about it. "I don't think that will be the way, Hilda. There's a fine challenge for you two, before the big one. Has Lamador already called a date and a place? No? Good, then you still have at least three moons to figure it out. And I am serious about that, Hilda. And that goes for you as well, William. Work on this. It must be worth it."
"You know that I value your opinion, Babs," Hilda said.
"Yes. That is why I came. You're not coming to get it, you're too bloody stubborn for that, so I thought I'd come by and shove it up your ass. As well as have a look at your mystery-man."
That triggered Hilda to quickly pull back her hand. "Yeah, that's you. Curious as a witch."
Baba Yaga and Hilda laughed again. William had seen it coming this time, and had his ears covered.
Babs then magicked up a very dusty bottle. It was not made of glass, but of something that looked like ceramic. The top did not have a cork, but was sealed with beeswax. "I think this calls for a little drink," the witch ann
ounced. "Too bad that Hilda can't take it. That is something you need to know, William, she does not react well to stronger liquid spirits. She waters things down, and for a reason. I hope you, as a man, can take it?"
"William, be careful," said Hilda. There was genuine concern in her voice, something that made him look at her.
"Maybe I can try a little bit, Baba Yaga," he said, and Hilda nodded. Little bit was good.
Suddenly there were three glasses, one with a very light rose and two empty ones that did not hold their state for long, as Baba Yaga chopped off the wax top and filled both glasses. And to the rim.
"A little bit," William grinned, eyeing the glass.
The witches raised their glasses. William joined them, and they toasted. Baba Yaga threw the contents of her glass in her mouth as if it were a sip of water. Hilda sampled her rose and judged it watered down enough. William tried the heavy red wine. It was thick as syrup and the smell already hit him in the face. He tried it.
"Gods!! When I drink that, you can order my coffin!" William got red in the face and had to put down the glass, as the powerful wine tried to burn itself a hole through him and into the ground.
Hilda handed him a glass of water and he drank that, which brought instant relief to his inner world. "Babs, that was mean."
The Russian witch giggled and waved over the glass. "It should be better now." As William looked at her with worry all over his face, she added: "Really. Trust me."
Just to be on the safer side, he also looked at Hilda, who nodded this time.