Here is a mid-week treat for you! 😁
An extra little chapter, just for fun!
And you know what?
It's also the ONE-HUNDREDTH CHAPTER of my fanfic!
So, that's kinda special!
I will dedicate this chapter to Tree ( @MinervaCat ) because of all the trees!
(And the razzle-dazzle!)
Hope you all like it! 😊
Here we go:
In the deepest heart of the woods, at the foot of a gathering of the most ancient of the trees, a humble cottage nestles at the base of a gentle green hill. Its walls are a bramble of thick roots that grow out of the hill itself, and the closer one looks, the less certain one becomes of whether the hill supports the cottage, or the cottage supports the hill. It is as if they simply grew together over the expanse of time.
A hunched old woman with cascading sweeps of grey-white hair and energy to spare shuffles back and forth before her hovel with whimsical frenzy, industriously clearing fallen branches with great sweeps of her rustic broom.
Madame Razz: [with upbeat intensity] Zeh storm is over, broom, but zere is still so much to do! We have to be ready for what comes next!
She continues muttering softly to herself, looking down and brushing away the smaller twigs. Coming upon some larger branches, she bends down to pick them up in her arms. For a brief moment, she lets go of her broom, and, strangely, it doesn’t seem to lose any of its momentum, making several swipes on its own as she tosses the branches out of the way! Suddenly, she straightens up and freezes in her place, reaching out to still the broom in her grip. Eyes wide, her mouth falls open a moment.
Madame Razz: Wait! I almost forgot!
She relaxes, and a warm smile spreads across her wrinkled, wizened features.
Madame Razz: [delighted] We’re having a guest today! It’s time to make some tea. Ahhhh.
Razz sighs and begins humming to herself as she lifts the blanket across her doorway and hurries inside.
In another part of the forest, Adora is climbing over some low-hanging branches that are blocking the way into a brighter area of the wood. She grunts a little with the effort of moving through this minor barrier, but her demeanor is energetic and upbeat. Once through, she sighs and continues on her way, stepping down a gentle slope.
Adora: [calling lightly] Razz, I’m in trouble, and I need your help.
She pauses momentarily at the bottom of the slope, getting her bearings and choosing her route.
Adora: [raising her voice slightly] You said you’d be here for me, and I believe you. You’ve never let me down.
Nodding, she chooses a direction where the leaves seem to shimmer and quiver invitingly in a soft breeze. Moving forward, she gently pushes them aside to step through.
Adora: I’m not worried any more. I know you’re around here. And I know that we’ll meet each other when . . .
She comes to a place where a medium-sized tree has bent over to lie against the ground, and she vaults over it, then takes a few steps forward and peers around an ancient tree flanked by leafy foliage. A large open space, filled with bright sunlight appears, and in the center of it, a small friendly cottage at the base of a hill!
Adora: [smiling with relief] . . . when the time is right! There you are!
