“P-Peter –”
He was already stepping inside, tugging on her hand to follow. “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “Come on.”
Maggie followed along behind him as her heart sank to the floor. There wasn’t a light on within the house. The shadows were wispy and almost tangible, strange smells filling the air somuch Maggie felt as though she needed to cough. Across from where they entered, a large cauldron bubbled and smoldered above a roasting flame. Peter’s fingers loosened around hers for a split second as he took long strides forward.
“Boo!”
A small woman jumped out from the shadows, landing in front of Maggie with a loud thud. Maggie’s hands flew up to her face, a sharp yell filling the air as the fright took hold of her.
Peter was beside her in an instant, reaching for her hands and pulling them away from her cowardice face. He whispered in her ear, though she couldn’t quite understand him, until her breathing had slowed, and her hands were only trembling within his own. Peter was smiling, not in a pitiful way, though the longer she stared she began to second guess herself.
Behind him, the woman was laughing hysterically. The sounds filled the small house instantly, drowning out whatever scream Maggie couldn’t possibly manage.
“Are you alright?” Peter asked.
Maggie nodded slowly.
“Hazel is quite the trickster,” he murmured, the corner of his lip perking up. “I’ll take the blame for not warning you.”
But Maggie was hardly feeling sour about it any longer. How could she, when the woman was resolved to tears from how funny she found it? “I find it hard to be surprised about much in Neverland anymore,” Maggie replied.
“How splendid!” Peter gripped her hand with a tight squeeze. “You’re learning!”
Behind him, the woman was beginning to collect her bearings. The darkness rendered her almost invisible, only a blur of dark colors. “Tell me, King of Neverland,” she cooed in a sing-songy voice, “Why have you come to my humble abode?”
Peter turned around to face her. “Something’s wrong with the moon coral,” he explained. “The mermaids dammed thestream that led to the Everything Plant to try and stop the coral from dying. Though from what Maggie found on it yesterday, I’m beginning to think it has nothing to do with the stream.”
Maggie watched the woman’s expression change through the darkness. Her face was very angular, but as the humor left the situation, her sharp features only grew more prominent. The woman flexed her hand and snapped, the short sound signaling for the magic to begin. The curtains were drawn within an instant, letting the early afternoon light stream into the house. The cauldron that had been bubbling in the center of the room came to a quick stop, the liquid growing incredibly still within it. Maggie eyed it and had the sudden feeling that everything they saw when they first entered was all for show, all to pull a fun trick.
The woman strode toward Maggie. “I supposeyou’reMaggie?”
She nodded dumbly.
“The name’s Hazel Broomlin,” the woman said. She bowed her head slightly before staring at Maggie expectantly. “Well, don’t just stand there!” The woman rested her hands on her hips. “I only assume you took a sample of this sick coral, didn’t you?”
“Oh!” Maggie fished through her small satchel before producing the coral she pulled off the main stem. “How did you know I would’ve collected a sample?”
Hazel snatched the piece from Maggie’s fingers, already pulling it close to her face to investigate it. She turned around, holding the coral high above her so that the light glinted off of it. “You’re a botanist, aren’t you?”
“How –” Maggie’s eyes were wide as she glanced over to Peter, who was grinning.
“Your fingers,” the witch called out absentmindedly. “Botany fingers.”
Peter shrugged, looking thoroughly impressed. “She’s a witch, alright.”
Hazel turned around, the piece of coral lowered. “Shadow Fungus.”
“What?” Peter and Maggie spoke at once, both glancing in surprise at the other.
The witch closed the distance between them, setting the coral down on a small, round table. She turned away briskly, scanning her shelves before retrieving a leather-bound volume with wispy, fraying pages.
“Shadow Fungus," she repeated. “It’s the fastest growing fungus that is specifically attracted to magical plants. The organism will feed on the plant’s natural magic until there is nothing left to salvage.”
Maggie gulped. “You mean –”
“The moon coral will bedestroyed.”
Out of all the things Maggie thought it could be, a deadly fungus wasn’t one of them. They couldn’t go back to the mermaids and tell them that there was nothing to be done, that an illness was simply an illness, that they needed a new home. Maggie shook her head and stepped forward, pulling the witch out of the pages of her book.
