My Crazy Years

Books and witches

"Here, (Y/N). Try some of this cotton candy." Anne told you, placing the sweet candy closer to you.

"Nah. I'm good. Want some Kurtos? I asked for a simple one and it's still steaming hot." you offered her a part of the still-steaming spit cake.

"Thanks. I didn't know you liked Kurtos." she said as she took a piece and bit it, letting the hot flavor of cinnamon invade her mouth.

"What's there not to like?" you said and took a bite as well.

Odd looks were thrown your way as you and your friends walked down the road through the heart of the fair, children screaming and parents shaking their head in disapproval, vendors giggling, others looking in awe, but you didn't care.

"Hey, look! Those guys are selling meat. How about we get Kuro something?" Anne pointed to a stall whose front was indeed filled with good-looking sausages, hot dogs, bacon with grease shining bright in the sunlight.

One look in that direction was enough to make the owl's stomach growl and he pushed his head into yours and gesturing towards it.

"Sure. Let's go." you said and headed there; the bird excited to receive a treat.

Fortunately, the vendor had some raw meat in stock too and you brought four pieces of chicken breast, giving one to Kuro as soon as you paid for them. He swallowed it hole, a satisfied expression on his face, though you knew he will ask for more in an hour. Not that you minded. He was so adorable when he was happy.

It was a cold day of February, the last month of winter saying its goodbyes with harsh winds and snowy days, roads cleaned in the morning, covered again in the evening. The days were slowly getting longer, sunlight earning a bit more time, each day. Soon, the snow will be replaced by heaven's tears, and all the white will melt away, leaving behind dirty poodles of water on the sidewalk, perfect opportunities for drivers to splash innocent pedestrians while they were carelessly driving at high speed on the narrow roads.

School ended early and tomorrow it was going to be out since it was some holiday whose name you could never recall. Since you had plenty of time, you and Anne decided to go and visit the fair, at least until she had to go home. The bugs couldn't accompany you, all of them stuck with the homework and lessons Pale King prepared for them, much to Hornet's annoyance. She was angry at both her parents, her father because it was his idea and her mother for allowing it. Everyone was surprised at Herrah's decision to make her daughter learn about something else but how to fight, hunt and weave as that was the spiders' way. Thus, the reckless princess was more than unpleased. However, the one who had all the right to complain was Pure. They marked the highest from all of their siblings and so, their father had great expectations from them, and the others were quick to ask for their aid when it came to homework. Them and Quirrel. It was only the second day since the King implemented the school project and the poor pill bug was already neck deep in pleas of help and didn't know how to manage it. If you didn't need to go to school, you would have stayed behind and help him out, but unfortunately, you had no such luxury.

You looked at the items on display, thinking about buying something for the children, a toy to lighten up their day, at least for a little while. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could satisfy you, some plush animals looking sloppily made, others, so cheap, the price screamed of their poor quality. Those will not do. You wanted only the best for those babies.

As you kept on browsing through the stuff with Anne's help, Kuro sleeping deeply on your shoulder now, you reached a stall filled with nothing but strange things, the kind that you would find in a cheap freak house show sold as souvenirs. The vendor was an old gipsy woman, her long, white hair, caught at the back with a golden hair ornament, and her eyes locked on her hands as she was knighting a muffler, not seeming to have noticed you and your friend, but that was soon proved wrong when she spoke: