Oh goodness dear reader, it seems the little wisps have lead to some mischief, though really it was not their fault, and everything worked out in the end. Oh dear! If I was wondering how the forest would introduce itself to Mr. Leland, well, now I know: with a little misadventure.
Mr. Leland had told me we could plan our trip into the forest soon, but after two weeks had nearly passed he had not yet come by. I saw another wisp; that time it was in my cottage and I meant to follow it, but Flame chased it around and I think that scared it off. So when I was outside, enjoying the cool of the evening, and I saw another one peeking out from behind a tree, I decided to see where it would lead.
I had been following it through the forest for only a minute or two when, goodness, I heard a most terrible cry and a voice calling out my name! With that the wisp vanished and I turned back to see who was in trouble. I did not think anyone else would come into the forest alone, but not far off I found Mr. Leland lying on the ground clutching his leg! Oh dear, I knelt down and asked what was the matter. He had come to my cottage to work out a time for our trip into the woods; he’d caught sight of me going in, thought to himself “why not now?”, and tried to catch up with me. But in his haste he’d had fallen over a tree root and …broken his leg. Oh, he seemed to be in such pain and could not stand. He begged me to go back to the village for help, and it seemed like the only thing to do, but then… I saw a small black cat sitting on the log beside us. He mewed softly, came over, rubbing up against my skirt and even pawed at Mr. Leland’s trousers.
I thought hard. Goodness, dare I go to Dorothy for help? I knew she might be able to heal Mr. Leland, and a broken leg is no small thing, dear reader. If it didn’t heal properly, it might cause him pain for the rest of his life. But could I trust him to keep Dorothy’s secret...
I took a deep breath, told Mr. Leland I’d be back as soon as I could then ran towards the place I knew the stone ruins to be, though I hoped they would be ruins no longer. Mr. Leland called after me, but I did not stop. Tibbs caught up with me and ran ahead, leading the way through the trees, and thank goodness, there in the clearing was the ancient house, standing tall, and in the door way, Dorothy. She smiled as she saw me, but with my worried expression, her eyes narrowed and she asked me what was wrong. I explained, asking if it had been right of me to come to her for help. She assured me that of course it was and added that Tibbs was an “excellent judge of character”. If he had shown himself to this Mr. Leland, everything was sure to be fine. I led the way back. Dorothy moved much quicker than I expected. She may be an old woman, but with her skirts hiked up she runs just as fast as I can.
Mr. Leland seemed surprised, even more so when the old woman touched his shoulder and he found his leg was completely healed. We went back to her house, moving more slowly then, and when we got inside, Dorothy seemed very tired. I offered to make some tea and set to work as she rested in her chair. Mr. Leland sat with Tibbs on his shoulder. He was astounded by where he now found himself, and once Dorothy was more rested he wondered if he might ask her some questions. He was amazed by her healing magic and said it was a skill that had been lost to the world for more than a hundred years. There were records of its existence, but no one knew how it worked. Dorothy grinned at him with a twinkle in her eye. He said that naturally she needn’t tell him anything; he was very grateful for her help and had just been curious. She laughed, said she didn’t mind his asking, and began to explain as I sat down and served the tea.
She described how her mother had taught her as a girl. It was done by giving one’s strength. She drew the strength out of herself and gave it to the injured person. It made the body heal faster. The idea was simple, but it took a long time to master. And a person had to have strength in order to give it, which was why now she felt so tired. We both asked if there was anything we could do for her, and she told us not to fuss; she would be fine after a good night’s rest. As to the knowledge being lost for so long, well, she said she wouldn’t know anything about that. Time did not pass for her as it did for normal folks, not since she had come to the forest.
We did not wish to stay long… Dorothy looked as though she needed to rest and the moon was already rising, but she bade us return again soon, saying that Tibbs liked our company. Once out of the forest I asked Mr. Leland if he would keep what had happened that evening a secret as Dorothy enjoyed her privacy and not everyone valued the magic she could do. He said he intended to and thanked me for my help. I had taken a chance and he owed me a great debt. Really, I had done nothing, but I appreciated his thanks all the same.
So goodness, Mr. Leland’s first trip into the forest did not go as I had expected, but he does seem eager to return again. I look forward to it as well. First, I think we should pay another visit to Dorothy, and with any luck she will be able to tell us more about the strange little wisps who started the whole adventure in the first place.