The Moonlight Boy | Ferry's Tale # 1

The forgotten garden

One late autumn's day, three children were dragging their feet on a lonely, windy path. No one was saying a word. They were walking side by side, their collars up to their noses.

Ferry, Matilda, and Ben were going to the witch's house. Shadow was not with them; he had vanished somehow with no one noticing. The children had agreed they should get familiar with the house where the witch lived before breaking in. Moreover, Billy Pride and Danny Stevens were to join them that night to make sure Ferry would bring the witch's feathers and not others. So there was no way back.

Lavender Sky's house was situated somewhere outside the town, at the foot of the northern hills. It was the coldest area around, for the sun was scarce that side of the town. The clouds seemed like crowding over the hills, abandoned to bad weather. And the leaves were long gone, leaving the trees naked and lonely which completed the grim atmosphere of that day.

Not many dared venture those places. The people of Goodharts were rarely visiting the simply because they found no use of it. The deserted hills in the north were not fertile, hence not attractive for picnics or exploring the surroundings. At the hill's foot, a small path could barely be noticed, hiding between the trees. The branches were long and tangled, reaching the ground. The path was covered with dry brushwood and wild bushes, a sign no human foot passed by in a long time. Somehow the soil was different out there. No other town laid beyond, only sterile fields and an abandoned railway. They were not green like the western hills, nor tall like those of the east side where people gathered for picnics, festivals, and kite contests. They weren't dangerous for the forest was far; yet, not friendly because, for some reason, the winds seemed to meet from all corners of the world right there, on their deserted peaks.

And to crown it all, the witch lived in that uninviting place; the very place the three friends were heading to now.

Their pace became faster as they were getting closer. Surprisingly, their bodies started to unwind as if covered with a warm blanket, in front of a cozy fire. They were still having difficulties walking on the path covered with dry weeds; knotty roots were showing up on their way and brambles were climbing on their clothes. But after a while, the surroundings began to change. The ground was covered with green, fresh grass as if in springtime. On the side of the path, the trees didn't look lifeless and deserted anymore. And the further they went, the more the foliage turned greener and thicker. On the other side of the path, the thistles and weeds were replaced with clusters of wildflowers, in bleak colors of white and blue, scattering a fresh, invigorating scent.

"How far is the witch's house?" Matilda broke the silence. Even she couldn't stay indifferent to the surroundings stretching ahead.

"If my mother wasn't mistaken, we should have arrived by now," said Ben adjusting his glasses as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"How would she know how to get there?" the girl asked.

"My grandma told her. She knew Lavender Sky, even if they never spoke to each other. Although the old woman tried to hide away from the people in town, my grandma discovered her house when she was looking for healing herbs."

"Well, maybe your grandma was a witch, too," Matilda mumbled.

Ben wanted to protest, and the quarrel was just about to start again when right in front of them, several old trees appeared out of nowhere, rising high across the path like a defense wall. They had big, strong, reddish stalks, and climbing plants were falling from their old branches like a heavy curtain.

Matilda took a clasp-knife out of her pocket and she was ready to cut off the plants blocking their way. But Ferry stopped her. With gentle moves, he moved the plants from their path as removing a curtain to watch out the window; and the view in front of them was finally revealed.