Pendulum || TAENNIE FF

⚔Chapter 64: Just a few ticks back

A U T H O R

Heather had her hand wrapped around the lever handle of the wooden door. Berta, the person I always considered as my second mother, isn't a human? She thought. Different kinds of things crowded her head when Master Woora told her that her childhood nanny is inside that cottage right now. "I wonder what she's like." She pulled the lever and stepped inside.

"What took you so long?" Berta stood there with a tray of cookies in her hand. She still had her kind smile which Heather could never forget. "You've grown so much, dear one." Heather's tears slowly formed, remembering the times when she and Berta would play around the palace. "Oh, don't start crying, child. You'll make me emotional too."

Heather quickly came and hugged her. Berta placed the tray of cookies on the table and hugged her back. "I missed you. I haven't seen you in so many years," Heather cried and hugged her tight. "Berta..." She said in a muffled voice.

Berta patted her back and kissed the girl's head. "We have so much to talk about. I can't wait to hear your stories again." Heather chuckled and pulled away. "I've heard so much about you from the townsmen. Master Woora also told me about you. I must say, you are still that naughty and disobedient little girl I always scolded."

"I believe you're right." They sat on the couch by the window with the cookies Berta baked. She had no idea Heather would come to Acquives. When she heard that Heather was on her way to her cottage, she thought she baked the cookies at the right moment. "I've got so many questions to ask."

"As expected from you," Berta said and took a sip from her tea. 

"How did you get here? I mean...why were you in the human world? How did you leave Parailla?" Heather asked with her face all confused.

"I was already in the human world many years ago. When the high sorcerer granted us the chance to live as a human, many Paraillans took that chance and left through one of the portals. When some of us decided to return to our normal lives, we found out that the portals were destroyed so the humans won't find out about this world. We were forced to stay and I had to look for a job to survive. Your parents hired me and I took care of you since then."

"Did my parents know you're not human?"

"They had no clue. It's a secret a Paraillan should never tell to anyone."

"How are you back here? Did you find another portal?"

"When your parents brought home the old pendulum clock, I knew exactly what it was, and I knew I could finally return to Parailla. But, I couldn't. I had to take care of you and I couldn't leave you without a reason. Knowing you, you wouldn't stop crying until I show up. When your grandma found my replacement, I thought I should let you go and go back home."

"And I thought I won't be able to see you again. So that's why you never scolded me for having a wide imagination. You just kept saying that I should look after myself."

"Exactly. But did you look after yourself while having your little adventures?" Berta asked and crossed her arms. "You didn't listen again, did you?"

"I never listen." Berta chuckled at her answer. "What creature are you, Berta?"

"I'm a white witch--the sanest witches in all the land. I came with other witches to the human world too but, we haven't seen each other since we found out that there were no portals left," Berta answered.