The Reluctant

Prologue

The ordinary small tea shop on the corner stood unassuming, ivy growing up on the sides of the brick building, a small walkway leading up to a glass door with flower pots on either side. A small, delicate, silver bell hanging over the door and an ornate sign dangling from a pole with the name of the shop carved into it's wood. On the outside, it looked like just another building facing the shopping district on Springdale Street, however, on the inside it was anything but ordinary.

There were small, square wooden tables with mismatched, pastel-colored, wooden chairs grouped together for conversations. Large, fluffy, embroidered pillows were artfully arranged on over-stuffed chairs. Porcelain vases filled with colorful flowers were scattered around the room and a statuette of a cat carved in obsidian sat on the stone mantel above the fireplace.

A bulky, wood counter at the back of the room held a large assortment of tea and tea cups. A collection of teapots were displayed in a glass curio cabinet in the corner. The woman who owned the shop stood behind the counter, carefully rearranging tea cups. She wore a long, flowing multi-colored dress and silver bracelets stacked on her wrists. Silver cat earrings dangled from her ears and an ornate cat pendant with a green stone in the middle hung from her slender neck. Her curly, red hair hung loose, framing her ageless face.

A black cat sat on the counter in front of her. She looked at it and rolled her eyes. "I know, I know," the woman murmured. She finished rearranging the tea cups and stepped out from behind the counter.

"Yes, it's time." The woman turned from the cat and pushed open a side door with a delicate hand, her long, slender fingers adorned with rings.

She stepped into a smaller room painted in a muted shade of yellow. More vases filled with assortments of flowers sat on a large, wood desk and shelves lining the walls held dishware. A tall bookcase stood in the corner with various knickknacks. On the top sat an ordinary looking, long, wooden box. The woman looked behind her suddenly. The black cat had slunk in before the door had closed. She reached up and pulled down the box. It was polished mahogany with carvings of...cats. She opened the box revealing a wand, yes, a wand which belonged to the shop owner. The woman was a witch, and a very powerful one at that. For she protected the people of Happy Hollow from threat...and the threat was getting stronger.

The woman gently held the wooden box as she passed the desk and continued to walk to the back of the room. She touched her fingertips to her forehead and then to the four corners of the wall marking the size of a door.

She chanted under her breath, touched her forehead and then another spot on the wall where the doorknob would be.

A doorway appeared where there was none before.

The woman walked through the newly visible door into another room beyond. This room was stone and brick. No color graced it's walls. Various bottles and jars were arranged on tables and shelves. Spiderwebs and dust collected in the corners and over surfaces. Small statuettes of cats were scattered throughout the room and a larger one sat on a side table with a black cauldron. There was a long shelf on the far side that held several old, leather-bound books.

The living, black cat followed the red-haired witch as she walked over to the shelf and pulled down one of the heavy, leather-bound books. It was well-worn and some of the pages were thin and faded. A sapphire stone was set into the cover of the book. The woman gently opened it's pages...