Hilda - The Challenge

climbed over him, half asleep still. "You should not go away. You are mine. For keeps."

  "But I came back," he whispered.

  "Yeah," she nodded, her smile hidden under her hair. "Back."

  Sleep came again, and this time it stayed with them for a few more hours.

  "Are you awake?", Hilda whispered.

  "I am," William whispered back.

  "Good." The wicked witch kept whispering. "I want you to know that I was serious."

  "About what?" He stroked her head that rested against his shoulder.

  "About you being mine for keeps. I'm not letting you go away, William."

  "In case you need to hear it from my mouth, sweet witch: I am not planning on leaving. Unless you come with me."

  "Good. As long as we are in the clear about that." Hilda made herself a bit more comfortable on William and together they lay there for a few more minutes.

  William then gently patted her behind. "Don't you have to go do the rounds?"

  "You never listen, do you?", Hilda sighed, "what have I told you about predictability?"

  "Oh. Right." And after a while, he added: "I think you are just too comfortable here and you don't want to get up."

  "Oh, shush you, you know nothing." As he had to laugh about that comment, she slapped him on the arm: "Lie still, or you'll bump me off the bed!" And she started laughing too.

  "That's not fair," the witch grumbled, "now I have to get up. And no, you can't come with me. Not now." She slid off the man under her and sat up on her knees. "But don't you dare leave." She pointed her finger at him which made him grin.

  "Don't worry. I'll be here. Just hurry."

  She did.

  Despite the comfortable bed, they decided to go downstairs and face what was left of the day. It was not surprising that there was not much of it remaining, and Hilda was glad there had been no people calling at the door.

  "Maybe," she said as she was reducing a carrot to nothing, "I should put a spell on you. One that makes you stay with me."

  "Do you think that is necessary?", William asked as he was scanning the table for something interesting to put on his bread.

  "Nah, I doubt that, but it could be interesting," she teased him.

  "Spontaneous is better, believe me," he said.

  "Probably."

  Twok.

  "Sounds like you have mail," William remarked.

  "Uhuh. It won't go away and I am not in a hurry." She hadn't spoken the words or her crystal ball started singing. "Why now?" She looked as if the sound caused her terrible pain. "That's Babs. I have to talk to her, okay?"

  "Okay, but if she can see you it might be a good idea to put something on first."

  "Uhm..." Hilda stared at her naked body. "You have a point". She first kissed his cheek, then put on her red coat, after which she walked to the ball and waved over it. "Babsy baby, good morning!"

  Babsy baby was silent for a moment. Then, wondering what the heck was happening, she said: "Morning? Where are you? It's well in the afternoon here, Hilda. Are you okay?" Even William picked up the concerned tones in the shrill voice of the Russian witch.

  "Yes, I'm okay. Fine even. Not quite awake yet, but that will settle itself. So, what's the reason for you to call me this fine day?"

  "Hilda, stop scaring me. Do I need to fly out to you and check on you?"

  "Oh, no need for that. William is checking on me already." Hilda giggled.

  Something Russian and incomprehensible came from the crystal ball, followed by: "So it's true? He's still with you? And all the other things?"

  "What other things?"

  "I heard that you want to ask William to fight Lamador for you."

  "I what? Who told you that bull, Babs? Come on, you know me better than that. It's my challenge, my deal, I am not allowed to bring in others. And I couldn't bring William in. He is not magical. Crap..." Hilda felt her wonderful feeling fleet from her as the subject of the challenge came up again.

  "Calandra mentioned some things...", Babs admitted.

  "Urgh. She added the bits that I left out," Hilda muttered, "don't believe a thing she says. Yes, William is still here, and I am keeping him here. Just for you: I think I love him. And I don't want him in danger. Okay?"

  "Okay, kiddo, but can you run that one thing by me again? The bit where you say you think you... love him? Are you certain that is what you wanted to say, or is sleep still hugging your brain?"

  William had put on his blue robe and stood behind Hilda now, his hands on her shoulders as he peered at the large ball showing Baba Yaga.

  "Oh. I see. Sleep is not hugging your brain, something's messing with mine." Baba Yaga knew that Hilda would never allow someone to stand like that unless the wicked witch trusted the other person blindfolded.

  "Yes, I am awake. And I love him, Babs. Hey, do you love me too?", Hilda asked William as she looked up at him.

  "I do, Hilda. I love you."

  Baba Yaga looked at the two, trying to keep her face expressionless. With the many folds and wrinkles, that was not such a daunting task, but she did her best anyway. "Well, good for you, guys. Willy, do understand that I am going to keep an eye on you. if ever you do something to Hilly baby that I don't like, you'll answer to me. Do I make myself clear?" The undercurrents in her voice made her intent as clear as the crystal that Hilda's ball was made of.

  "You are clear, very clear, but I would very much appreciate it if you would first ask Hilda if she doesn't like it either," Willy replied.

  Babs thought about that. "Yeah, I can see reason in that. Okay, deal. If I worry about you I'll first get in touch with her about that."

  "Hey! I am stil here, you know!" Hilda waved her arms. "No need to talk about me as if I am somewhere else!"

  Babs' eerie cackle bounced through the room, and William could not help laughing either.

  "Hey, shush you!" Hilda pretended to bang on William's chest with her fists. As she had her back turned to the crystal ball, she was laughing also, and ended up in a hug from William.

  "Right, I see that it is time for me to stop watching before you take this too far. I value my crystal. Take care, guys." The face of the ugly witch disappeared.

  21. It's alive

  The couple spent the day doing close to nothing. Hilda felt obligated to check things at least through her mirror. William sat with her as she showed him parts of the kingdom he had not seen before.

  "Goodness, it is so beautiful here," he said as the image showed mountains, lakes with long beach-like shores and ancient castles.

  "It is, indeed," Hilda said. "It's weird though... Now you are here and you tell me it is so pretty, I can see it again. It's all so... normal for me."

  "Unfortunately that happens all the time," William agreed. "Let's try to remind each other to see the good things."

  "Good idea, but remember that I am a wicked witch. I only reserve that right for you, William. Others won't hear things like that from me."

  "I can live with that."

  Hilda started looking at all kinds of things then that did not mean anything to William. People, murky places and what looked like haunted houses came by.

  "Would you mind if I skip this? I'll be at the table with my book."

  "Sure, I can't assume that everything I like fascinates you as well." She brushed his cheek with her lips, just before he got up. Hilda watched her lover pick up the special book with the silk scarf as he headed for the table. "I like the scarf," she grinned. "Can I trade you another one for it?"

  "Make me an offer," William grinned and sat down. Something poked him and he jumped up again, reaching into the pocket where the problem maker apparently was. He found the two parts of the wand that had belonged to Gerdundula the witch. As the memory of the overturned house flashed brightly through his head, he put the two pieces of the wand on the table, shaking his head for a moment.

  "What's the matter?" Hilda had seen him shake his head.

&n
bsp; "I was thinking of Gerdundula," he explained, sitting down and opening his book.

  "Hmmm... better try to think of something more entertaining... her fate is depressing..."

  In silence they continued what they were doing, Hilda examining the kingdom through her mirror, William reading his treasured book.

  "So, what is that precious book you are reading?", Hilda asked after her curiosity had been satisfied. She leaned on William's shoulder and looked at the pages he was studying.

  "It is a book about magic," he told her. "I just love the paper, the print, the drawings and the way the spells are written down."

  "Lemme see!", Hilda said as she squeezed herself between William and the table, sitting in his lap at ease once he had moved the chair back a bit. The wicked witch was more interested in the texts themselves than the paper they were printed on.

  "Where did you find this?", she asked after looking over the open pages. Slowly her finger traced the line of one of the images, it was a flower that probably had never existed, except in the mind of the illustrator.

  "It was in a monastery," William said, "in a chest somewhere in a basement. The monastery was not in use anymore as the rumour went round that there had been witches living there at some time. I doubt that they were real witches, but I suspect that they left the book there. There were other books there also, but this one appealed to me so much that I took this one."

  "Shiny. You should have taken more of them. This is a fascinating book. It feels alive."

  William frowned. "Alive? Anyway, there were more people there, so I could only get one of the books. I was lucky to be in the first wave, so this one was still there."

  Hilda paged through the