He waved his hand over the orchard and stones began to tumbleloose from the surrounding hillside, rolling together into stacks as they formed a structure. A house.
It was a tiny cottage, perfect for someone my size. I watched in amazement as open windows were glazed over with leaded glass panes. A thatched roof sprouted, smelling of sweet straw. A chimney poked its way through, with curls of smoke wafting into the air. A door, of curved wood and boasting a crescent moon–shaped window, swung open, inviting me inside.
“I must take my leave of you for now, Hazel,” my godfather said. “There’s work I must attend to, and I’m certain you’d like—”
“You’re leaving me?” I asked, leaping off the rock in alarm. “Here? By myself?”
I glanced from the orchard to the house, up the sweeping mountains surrounding us.
“You can’t—you can’t leave me.”
He studied me with curious amusement. “This is all yours. The house was made for you. Anything you could possibly need is in it.”
“But there’s no one here.”
“Do you require company?” His head tilted. “I was given to understand you slept alone, in a barn.”
“Well…yes,” I hedged.
“I think you’ll find your cottage far more comfortable…and much better smelling.” His eyes lit up with remembrance. “And your quilt.” He handed it to me. “There,” he said, looking pleased. “You should be all set.”
“But…but what if something happens to me while you’re gone? What if I…” I trailed off as my eyes darted about the valley, seeing all the dangers that could befall me in the strange and isolated place.
His brow furrowed skeptically. “Hazel, I just promised youlifetimes long and happy. Do you think I would ever let harm come to you?”
I squirmed under his scrutiny. “I suppose not. I only…How long will you be gone?” I asked as resignation filled me.
“It’s difficult to say…but you needn’t worry. There’s plenty of food inside. Books I’d like you to begin reading—youdoknow how to read, don’t you?”
I nodded meekly.
“Excellent. Read what you can and we’ll discuss it when I return. All right?”
I bit my lip, sensing further argument would be in vain.
He stood. “I will see you soon, Hazel,” he promised, and turned to go.
“Wait!” I called, stopping him in his tracks. “You…you never said what I should call you. The Dreaded End? Godfather?”
He blinked, considering my question. “Neither sounds particularly right, does it? You may call me…Merrick. Yes. Merrick.”
I swallowed, knowing he was going to turn around again. The very air of the Between seemed to press in closer, and I prayed he’d thought to stock the cottage with lanterns and candles. “Goodbye, Merrick. But only just for now?”
He smiled, his form already dissipating into the gloom, one black bleeding into another. “Only just for now,” he echoed, and was gone.
Chapter 8
Therewerelanterns.
Half a dozen perched on shelves and tables throughout the cottage, and a fire roared merrily in the hearth, though I couldn’t understand how it was lit. There was no wood, nothing that the flames seemed to be consuming. There was only…light. It illuminated the cottage as brightly as a summer sun, leaving no corners of darkness, no pools of shadows where my mind could uneasily linger, imagining whole hosts of unwanted horrors.
The inside of the cottage was open and airy, though not terribly spacious. Sections of the room bled from one to another. My bed was near the hearth, which was near an overstuffed chair, which nearly took over the little kitchen, where a tall wooden table served as a place to both work and eat.
In the center of the table was a birthday cake.
It was small—the perfect size for my party of one—and impossibly ornate, the prettiest cake I’d ever seen. Golden webs of spun sugar covered the pale pink frosting, and candied flowers circled its base. It looked too lovely to eat, a perfect work of art, though Ispotted a silver-handled fork resting beside the tiny platter, indicating that eating it was exactly what I was meant to do.
The first bite was all sweetness. I’d never had anything like it before, light as air with a cloying aftertaste that reminded me of Mama’s rose garden. I took another bite, intrigued by the experience but not sure if I actually liked it.
