The Green Witch

Chapter 8 - Afternoon in the Garden

The afternoon was surprisingly cool, but not cold. The forest was awake with birds chirping, squirrels running to and fro, and the crickets making their music in the wind. Flora and Raul were back from their daily walk in the forest, and she was outside tending to her garden, feeding the family of Robins in her apple tree, and refilling the bird bath. The lake water was particularly clear, fresh, and cool on this day, so it was a treat for the birds that came to the cottage.

Flora absolutely loved afternoons like these. She loved to sit in her garden and see her herbs and vegetables doing so well, they were almost ready for harvest time of the year, and the sweet smell of her garden and all the colors of her seasonal flowers brought her such joy. She sat quietly and closed her eyes to listen to the sounds of the forest and take in the sweet aromas of her garden. She breathed in slowly, and out slowly, and, that time, she could almost feel her mother sitting next to her with her arms around her.

She wondered and thought of particular things when she had moments like these for herself. She thought of the different ways she could help, different practices she wanted to try in her healing specialties, and on this particular afternoon, in her calm, peaceful mood, she thought of Reed. Reed Stone. What was she going to do about him? He came into her life and turned it upside down. Now she finds herself yearning to hear his horse gallop up the cobblestone path to her cottage. She longed to hear her gate open and see him waltzing in with his smile and his charm. It made her feel vulnerable to want and need someone’s company so much. She all but accepted that she was just fine living out her days alone in the woods with her animals and her work.

Raul came walking up and sat next to her in the garden, almost knowing that she was thinking really hard about something.

“Raul”, she began.

“Did you ever think that someone could disrupt our peaceful, little, lives this way?” She asked.

Raul looked up at her and gave her cheek a lick.

“I know”, she said, “I didn’t think so either.”

“But what will we do when he can’t come to the cottage anymore? What then?” she asked.

“Raul, there will be a time when he must marry and start a family of his own, he will need heirs to take on his family’s lands and castles, and I can’t be that for him,” she exclaimed.

“I can’t be a wife or a mother.” She said, “It’s just not who I was meant to be.”

Raul looked at her, staring into her eyes, almost trying to tell her that she was wrong. She cared for Raul and she cared for all the animals and beings in the forest. There was no one who would be a better mother than Flora. He gave her cheek a little lick again and trotted away, looking to chase bunnies and other critters out of the vegetable garden.

Flora stared at Raul as he trotted away, and knew exactly what he was thinking.

They always had a way of understanding each other.

Flora made her way back into the cottage with the vegetables and roots that she harvested from her garden for dinner. For dessert, she picked apples that she would stuff with cinnamon and bake. Raul will love it! And Reed would love it….she smiled to herself.

The next morning, Flora finishes her morning chores and gets herself and Raul ready for their daily walk. She is hitching her small cart onto Raul when she hears a loud whinny come out from the woods. She and Raul quickly run in the direction of the sound, and they see a poor mare with an injury on her leg. Flora quickly assesses the damage and gets to work, with Raul close by her side. Flora cleans the debris from the wound with cold, flowing water from her pouch, and using a poultice including a medicine much like modern-day betadine solution, she disinfects the tissue. She also uses a homemade compression bandage to stop any bleeding and keep the wound clean. She leads the mare to her small cottage and uses an old leather rope to keep her tied to the fence. She makes the area surrounding the mare comfortable and lays out hay, blankets, and a big bucket of water. She also gives the horse some food and an apple for good measure.

She was a fine-looking mare. She was white with brown speckles and patches, and a long, beautiful white mane and tail. The look in her eyes was one of kindness, and Flora knew that they were kindred. She was running for her safety. Flora vowed to keep her safe and in gentle words told the mare that she could stay and make the cottage her home too. Flora named her Fable because a horse that beautiful could only exist in a story.

Flora checked on Fable’s wounds every day, before and after her daily walk with Raul. When Reed came over and met Fable, he was mesmerized by how beautiful she was, but also just amazed at another creature that Flora had helped and healed.

“Where do you think she came from?” asked Reed.

“Oh, I’m sure she’s wild, she doesn’t look like she belongs to anyone, no one kind, anyway,” Flora answered.”

“There was a scared, wild look in her eyes when I found her,” Flora explained.

“She’s beautiful,” said Reed.

“I know. And Fable is welcome to stay here as long as she wants to. I won’t keep her hostage against her will, but if she would like to stay, this could be home for her too.” said Flora.

“ I think she looks like she wants to stay. If I were a creature of the forest, I would never leave the cottage,” said Reed.

“You’re not a creature of the forest, and still you don’t leave,” teased Flora.

Reed looked at her and chucked a twig at her, “it’s not my fault the cottage and its lady are so welcoming” laughed Reed.

Flora laughed with Reed and then quickly realized one important thing.

“We need a stable” exclaimed Flora.

Reed smiled at Flora, “We do. Not to worry, I’ll help you get one up by the week’s end.”

Flora suddenly realized that she had gotten so used to Reed being around that she couldn’t even imagine building a stable without him. She smiled. But she was uneasy at the same time. How could she have become so dependent on someone? She was taking care of herself, and doing her work, for so long, that it didn’t even occur to her how important Reed had become to her life. Watching Raul and Reed wrestle around the yard, she thought...and also apparently important to Raul’s life.

They started the next day by collecting wood. Logs and twigs around the same length were necessary to build a stable for a single horse. Then the logs needed to be shaved and tied together with leather. The walls of the building were made from entwined sticks of a hazelnut tree. Twenty vertical joists were also analyzed and built, mostly made from oak or elm trees. Elm was also used for the floorboards of the stable.

It took them 3 days to build the stable, and they worked, ate, and became increasingly affectionate with each other with every passing day. They sat and talked in the evenings, holding each other and getting to know each other’s touch and kisses. The building's days were fun but strenuous, and in the end, a fine stable was built toward the back end of the cottage. Fable was moved to her new home, and her comfort and joy were evident.

By the end of the second week, her wound was healing nicely and bandages were changed daily. Flora expected that she might need some small doses of physical therapy and hoped that she would warm to the possibility of letting Flora ride her.

“Reed, do you think Fable would let me ride her?” asked Flora.

“I think that she is warming to you considerably and that riding her will be a definite possibility,” answered Reed.

“Fable will let you ride her because you saved her, Flora,” said Reed, more confidently.

He could tell by the worried look on Flora’s face that something was troubling her. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I just know there was something evil in the woods that she was running from,” said Flora. “She looked terrified.”

“I’m afraid of it too, should that evil find its way to the cottage,” said Flora.

“Flora, you’re not alone,” said Reed, “I’m here to help and protect you.”

“I’m afraid you might get hurt too, and I’m the one who should be protecting you. It’s my job” said Flora.

Reed understood, and he understood Flora’s job all too well. To keep the balance. He just wished he could find a way to keep her safe.