The Wonderful Wood

The Party

Then there was something in the sky. There was a black dot far away in the sky. It became bigger and bigger. "Is that a bird!"

The witch looked into the distance. That's no bird. That's one of us. Then she clapped her hands. 

The witch looked into the distance. That's no bird. That's one of us. Then she clapped her hands.

The figures became clearer and clearer, and Ethan saw that they were women on broomsticks.

They descended on the floor and shook hands with the witch. The witch took them indoors. The gnomes had left, and everything looked beautiful. The whole place was decorated beautifully. The witches sat down on the couches and started talking.

The witch went to the kitchen and brought food and drinks on trays. She served them, and soon they were bust talking, laughing and eating. Ethan sat in a corner and listened. Diagon had turned himself into a squirrel and crept inside Ethan's jacket.

 The clock struck midnight, and the witches went outdoors and started dancing around a fire that Evelina had lighted. The nightingales sang, and the witches danced and danced all through until it was nearly daylight. Ethan felt sleepy and went back inside. He could hear the witches singing, but he felt tired. He lay down on his bed, and soon he was fast asleep.

The next day Ethan got up and went to the kitchen. There was breakfast laid out, and the witch came in from outdoors. "We should get back into the business of preparing the net."

Then they went back to the basement, and the witch mumbled a spell and said, "follow me!"

She walked to the basement entrance and found the spider had spun a web on the doorway and took the web from where it hung.

She walked to the basement entrance and found the spider had spun a web on the doorway and took the web from where it hung. Then she took the wen to the table and took out a magnifying glass. She muttered some words, and the web grew larger and larger.

When the web was as large as a tablecloth, the witch took it and put it aside. Then she took the manticore claw powder and the rest of the dye she prepared and poured it into the cauldron. Then she sent Ethan to fetch some water. Ethan came back with it, and she added the water and stirred the cauldron until it steamed and bubbled.

Then when it stopped bubbling and steaming, she added the net. Then she took the web and put it inside the cauldron. Then she took it out after a while. At first, it was red, then turned orange, blue, green, and when it dried, it settled to a transparent silver.

They left it to dry and had lunch. When they came back to the basement, it was all dry, and Ethan thanked the witch. "If you set off now with the net, then you can arrive at the Wonderful Wood by night!

The witch got the net and put it inside a satchel, and gave it to Ethan. "Farewell, Ethan, I wish you luck!"

 "Thank you for everything," Ethan replied as he left the witches house with Diagon. As soon as they were outside, Diagon jumped out of Ethan's jersey, and there was a flash as he turned into a dragon.

Ethan got onto Diagon's back, and they set off. Ethan thought that it felt good to be out in the open once again.

They sailed over the clouds. It was a sunny day, and Ethan felt warm. But the winds that blew made it bearable, and soon they were within sight of the Wonderful Wood.

Then Ethan felt something rattle inside his pockets and took out the lunar locket and opened it. The maiden in the mirror spoke to him and asked, "do you know how to use the net?"

"Oh, I forgot to ask the wich!" he said and then added, "do you?"

"Yeah, use the magic of your ring to move the net across the air and try to put the net on top of as many wraiths as you can. The net will bind them and undo the magic that turned them into wraiths."

"Thank you so much," said Ethan and added, "Well, wish me luck!"

"Good luck Ethan, I know you can do it!" With that, she disappeared, and Ethan shut the locket.It was dusk when they landed by the gypsy camp. The chief of the gypsies welcomes Ethan warmly. They had dinner by the fireside and the chief himself offered to take Ethan towards the Willow trees where the wraiths made their abode.

"The best way to attract a wraith is to start frying meat! Let's catch some game and fry it in a spit and see if we can tempt them to come out!" said the chief as they walked along a stream. They had fishing rods, baskets and spears. They started fishing and caught some cod and put them into baskets.

Once they had caught a few, they put up a fire and a spit and started roasting the fish on the spit. The smell of the frying fish filled the air, and suddenly, Ethan felt cold. "They are here!" said a man, and soon dark shapes were floating about, and Ethan quickly took the net out of his satchel and threw it on a form and stretched his hand with the ring on it. There was a shriek, and a man fell to the ground.

Ethan didn't wait to look, stretched out his hand and picked up the net with the magic of the ring and hurled the net at another dark shape. Diagon breathed fire, lighting up the whole place.

One by one, Ethan flung the net at the dark shapes, and Ethan turned every one of the wraiths back into humans. They groaned as they got up from the floor.

They looked around as if they were dazed. "Where am I?" asked one puzzled. "Who are you?" said another.