Watched by Warlocks by Hannah Heat Read Free Book Online

“You did?” she asked. “What about?”
     
    “Well, that's the thing. That's why I'm here. It's hard to explain,” Elsa said, picking the skin from the tip of her thumb, nervous.
     
    Lili seemed to get increasingly nervous as Elsa waited to reveal why she had come to check on her. “Do your best, my friend.”
     
    “What do you remember before you went in the Forest?” Elsa asked, trying to broach the subject bit-by-bit.
     
    “I remember everything fine,” she said. “Although…I try to forget. When I think about that day when Ennis left me, I can hardly breathe.” She tried to smile through her pain and fear. This particular topic of conversation seemed somewhat unrelated to what was on Lili's mind, because she relaxed back into her chair, for a moment giving herself the leeway to think about lighter things than the dark cloud hanging over her head. Elsa, being largely intuitive and paying especially close attention to her friend, picked up on this. “Turnips were on my mind that morning. It was so sunny, bright, and chipper. Ennis and I decided to take ourselves down to the market to make that special platter we make usually every Sunday. When I saw how deep purple the turnips were, I was so excited, and for a split second, I started daydreaming about Ennis' father. Since the time he left us, I had not felt even a second of relief, but that day was different. That day, for a split second, I felt free. Then I turned around, looking for Ennis, and that's when I saw his little body running full speed into the woods across the way.” Her voice broke, the panic of that moment setting in. Lili took a deep breath.
     
    “I'm sorry,” Elsa said, getting up from the bench and making her way over to Lili. “I didn't mean to upset you,” she said, putting her arm around Lili, who seemed almost frozen. Elsa got up and started a fire, using a candle to light it. While she continue warming up the house, she took notice of the dilapidated house. Lili was not putting things back together in the way the community might expect her to do. “Lili, my dream was about you.” Elsa looked over to the bench, as Lili began shivering. “What is wrong? Is everything all right?” Elsa asked her.
     
    “Yes of course,” Lili said, through chattering teeth. “I just...knew this would happen. Tell me about your dream.”
     
    “I was standing on the edge of town, with everyone else, and we were calling to you not to go into the forest. But there was no sound, so you couldn't hear us. And you went anyway.”
     
    “My goodness. It's come back to haunt me hasn't it,” Lili said into the air, not directing her question at Elsa necessarily.
     
    “What has come back to haunt you?”
     
    “I cannot speak of it, my dearest Elsie. There's nothing I can do to make it better.”
     
    “Lili, tell me what you saw in the forest. How did you make it back?” The bluntness of the question surprised Elsa, because she knew her own hunger for answers came at the expense of poor Lili, who had been apparently traumatized by something, or someone, in the forest. Lili covered up her face with her hands, weeping into them, while Elsa tried her very best to calm the woman, holding her in both arms and rocking back and forth. “I'm so sorry, my Lili. We all searched for you through the entire community. Even the children crawled into cabinets and under houses, trying to find any sign that you didn't go. When we couldn't find anything that said you were still here, we prayed that you would survive the worst.” Those words sent poor Lili further into despair, causing her to weep even harder. Elsa finished her point, on a hopeful note. “But you did survive,” she said, making sure Lili could look her in the eyes, as Elsa wiped Lili’s tears with her white dress. “You're here now. Right?”
     
    Lili smiled through her tears. “Yes, I'm here. I just don't know how to be normal anymore.”
     
    “What do you mean, 'be normal'?” Lili