The Wonderful Wood

The Summoning

Then she opened the box and placed the meaty bone just outside. Then she began to chant. The box began to glow. Then there was a flash.

Then a clawed leg emerged from the box and a strange creature lept out of the box.

Then the witch quickly sprinkled the potion from the basin onto the creature—the creature froze in its place. The witch quickly stepped inside the calk circle with a knife and cut a few nails from the beast.

Then she lifted the beast and put it inside the box. Then she muttered some words, and there was a flash, and the beast disappeared. 

"The first ingredient, check!" said the witch, holding out the claws in her hands. She got a mortar and a pestle and started grinding them in it.

 Soon there was a fine powder. She took an empty bottle from a shelf and put the powder into it.

 "One down three to go," said the witch going to the bookshelf and taking a book out.

"What about the gathering?" asked Ethan, who was excited to see what it would look like when all the preparations were done.

"A group of gnomes will come to decorate the place in a few minutes," said the witch. Just as she spoke, there was a knock on the front door.

The witch went and opened the door. "Is this Miss. Evelina?" asked one of the gnomes who was carrying a box. The others were carrying boxes, poles and bags. There was one with a wheelbarrow that was piled up with things.

The witch said, "Yes, I'm Evelina, and you must be the gnomes from Party Prep & Co?"

"Yes, we are!" said the gnome that seemed to be the head of the gnomes, "May we come in?"

"Yes, you may!" said the witch moving aside. The gnomes trooped into the house and looked around, and put down the things they had been carrying on the floor.

"Come on, let's go to my workroom and stay out of the way," said the witch, and they went away from the living room down to the witch's basement. She picked up some of the books she had laid open on the table and asked Ethan to grab the cauldron from the fireplace.

She put the books on the table and got a candle stand. She started reading silently and said, well, we need to prepare the wood for the spider. She is going to spin the web that you are going to use to capture the wraiths!"

"Oh, that's interesting!" said, Ethan and the witch took out the box with the silver spider in it.

"Here is the weaver!" she said, but we need to feed her with moon milk for the best results! I have some with me. Let's try it and see, and the witch went to a shelf and taking a bottle with silvery-white liquid in it!

The witch unscrewed the bottle's lid, put some into the cap, opened the box, and left it inside, and Ethan peeped to watch what the silver spider would do.

The sliver spider drank the moon milk and crept out of the box, and the witch quickly muttered something. "I put a spell to keep track of her and to stop her from wandering off the basement.

 "Now, we will leave her to spin her webs!" Now we will prepare the dye to dye the net once it is done."

She got a bottle from underneath her cloak and then went to the book she had opened and turned the pages.

Then she stopped at one page, looked around, and took several bottles, one red, one green, one blue, and one yellow.

Then she asked Ethan to put the cauldron on the fire. He did so, and then the witch asked him to fetch some water. Ethan went up the basement stairs, and what was his surprise when he caught a glimpse of the hall. There were balloons, festoons and flowers everywhere. A disco ball was hung up on the chandelier. 

He looked around, and the gnomes were still busy adding the final touches. The whole place looked different. He went to the well, dropped the bucket, drew some water, poured the water into a bowl, and carefully carried it back to the basement, taking extreme care not to spill the water.

The witch took the bowl from Ethan and added some water into the cauldron. Then she added a bit out of the green bottle, then the red and stirred the contents. The pot sent out steam the smelt like freshly baked bread, and then it changed to the smell of newly plucked oranges, then it smelt of fresh roses and jasmine—all kinds of pleasant aromas issued from the cauldron.

Then she added the other ingredients and the fragrances died down. Then the witch stirred the cauldron till the steam died down and the fire underneath it died down as well.

Then she took an empty bottle from the shelves and poured the liquid in the cauldron into it. "There, all ready, now we have to wait till the spider had spun her web.

Then she said, "now let's go to the garden to summon the nightingales! They will sing throughout the night for us to dance!" said the witch shutting the book. She took a white whistle from a shelf, and they left the basement and went outdoors. It was nearly evening, and they hadn't felt the time pass while they were in the basement.

The wind was cold, and the evening star had come out. The clouds were pink and purple as if someone had splashed some paint on them.

The witch drew breath in and started whistling a tune. She kept on whistling and then stopped, and soon, a sweeter voice answered it. "There goes one!" said the witch and continued whistling, and then two voices joined in reply.

A brown bird flew and settled on a nearby tree. Then another and then snother. The witch quickly took her staff and waved it towards the tree. "I've bound them to the tree until the end of the night!"