Watching the fox begin to glow caught Jenny's attention. She has always been able to talk to animals, but to cast magic? The fox's body began to shrink as he was enclosed in an ebbing light. The light was as bright as an angel's glow and made her eyes water. While watching her enemy become engulfed in his own magic, she began to recall the last hour where her life was turned upside down.
She was surrounded by a rainbow of colors. Anywhere she looked, blooming mellow yellow Daffodils, tickle-me-pink Pansies, and midnight blue Irises swayed in the cooling springtime breeze. The sweet fresh aroma of a nearby strawberry bush tickled Jenny's nose and tempted her to pick a peck and bake a batch of strawberry tarts- her favorite. In a Sycamore to her right, a mother bird sang a soothing lullaby to her recently-hatched chicks as the sun slowly descended over the horizon and the sky allowed its colors to change from a beautiful rich periwinkle to a burst of pink and orange, giving a painted look to the clouds.
The soft pat of hopping echoed through the forest, notifying Jenny that a friend was near.
"Jenny!" an almost inaudible voice squeaked. "Jenny, he's almost here!" The voice filled with fear. Out of the shadows hopped a snow white hare.
"Alright," Jenny replied. Her voice was soothing, but she was obviously terrified.
An hour or two before, Barnaby, the white hare, had had informed Jen that an old friend was cursed. He was given 3 wishes. With the first wish he wished to be sneaky, with the second, he wished for all the sorcerer's magic. This changed him. It made his innocent heart crooked and filled with hate. Now he was going around calling himself "The Magician," luring people out into the forest and tricking them into pitying him and wishing for things he wanted. However, there was a ban against magic in the town, so he had to perform his tricks in the woods. Jenny knew, somehow, she would have to return him to his normal self.
All of a sudden the forest stopped. All the commotion and liveliness ceased and she saw him. At first he was just a dark tenebrous figure, but as he advanced toward her, his features became more defined.
His eyes were yellow with a black slit in the middle like a cat's, and long sharp canines peaked out of the corner of his muzzle. Residing at the top of his head was an ebony tophat with a crimson ribbon wrapped around the base. And his fur, his most distinctive feature, was a bright red orange with black tipped paws.
"Ah," spoke the figure. "Earlier I thought I smelled a spy."
"Save it for later, Magician," Jenny responded. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out what you are doing?"
The Magician rubbed his fuzzy chin in response, and then grinned at Jenny.
"I can't let you do it; I can't let you hurt them."
"Hurt them?" The Magician laughed with disbelief and quickly stuffed his left hand in his pocket. After a moment, he withdrew, a thin black cylinder with a white tip. He pointed it towards a Rhododendron bush where Barnaby was tucked away. With a flick of his wrist, blue electric sparks shot right at Barnaby and he started to change. No longer was he a cute white hare. Now, he was shrinking. His white coat was concealed in an off white shell, and Barnaby was gone. Now he was just an egg.
Jenny strolled over to the egg and placed him in her pocket. He was too fragile to be out in the open.
Glancing over at the Magician, Jenny noticed his wand pointed right in the middle of her forehead.
"You're next," He spoke. "No longer will you be able to talk to animals and mess with my plans."
Blue sparks shot at Jenny, but she pulled a compact mirror out of her pocket and placed it right in the route of the spell. With mere moments to spare, it hit the mirror and reflected onto the Magician, immersing him with light. Before she knew it, his body was already shrinking and returning to normal.
"Really, Mr. Caterpillar?" Jenny inquired. "Did you really think I wouldn't anticipate that?"
Where the fox once stood, there now was a tiny green caterpillar with black and yellow stripes along his back hidden deep in the grass. His little eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I know you are," Jenny said lullingly. "I know you are."
