The Magic of Love

Sidney sat on the porch, pumping the butter churn up and down, up and down, while looking out over the horizon. She lived on a large farm about 70 miles east of Salem, Massachusetts, “oh I’m so bored” she said aloud to no one but herself. Her mother, Brianna, was in the kitchen baking bread and her father had left early that morning on a hunting trip with her brothers Malcolm and Triply. It was such a beautiful spring day and the wild flowers were in bloom, “it isn’t fair” she said to herself, “Mal and Trip and Father get to go hunting and will no daubt thoroughly enjoy this gorgeous day doing what they love, but I must stay here and help Mother with chores. It just isn’t fair!” Just then Brianna came onto the porch and asked “ Are you nearly through with the churning Sid?” Sidney did not answer right away, but returned to churning, as she had stopped while dwelling on her brother’s and father’s activities. “Umm, no not quite, Mother, I should be done in another hour, I think” “Well perhaps you will be done by dinner, if you did less daydreaming and more churning“ Brianna told her only daughter, as she softly laughed. Ahhh she knew this child of hers well and guessed correctly that she had been daydreaming about enjoying the lovely day, rather than the task she had been charged with. As she looked upon her daughter, she was filled with amazement, not for the first time in Sidney’s 17 years. That she had been able to produce such a treasure, was a miracle. Sidney was the the youngest of three children, born to Thadeus and Brianna Barrns. Long after Bri had given birth to her two boys and they were grown, beginning families of there own, and she had given up all hope of having another child, she found herself pregnant at the ripe old age of 40. Long before this, when she went through her pregnancy with the boys, she had hoped for a girl. She knew that Thad would be charged with the task of tutoring the boys in farming techniques, hunting and managing a large property and therefore when her babies were old enough to begin there tutoring, would no longer be able to stay by her side each day and give her so much joy. But a girl, was a different story all together. A girl would need to be taught how to cook, clean, manage a household and to be a good wife and mother.
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Not to mention she would need to learn THE CRAFT. Therefore, until such time as she would marry and move to her own home, a girl would be 100%, Brianna’s charge. A girl would keep her company when the men folk were out hunting, would be a help around the house and give her hours of joy. Bri’s pregnancy with Sid began well, she had never had any trouble with her first to pregnancies and had always been healthy as a horse. But in her 2nd trimester she began to take on too much fluid, and began having pain in her chest. Everyone, including her husband tried to tell her to take it easy and not do so much around the house, Thad even hired a servant girl from a family in town, to assist her with her chores, but Bri had always been stubborn and wouldn’t hear of slowing down or not taking care of her home and family herself. Her home and family were her pride and joy, caring for them and providing a delicious meal, a clean home and hand stitched garments were her way of showing them, beyond words, how much she loved them. She continued to do all that she physically could until one day near the beginning of her third trimester, she collapsed while baking bread. Her servant, Tyra, ran for the village doctor. When Doctor Zeb, arrived, Bri was nearly gone. After massaging her heart nearly 15 minutes, he finally was able to bring her back. From then on she was on complete bed rest, had to take medication and had to be monitored closely by Dr. Zeb, for congestive heart failure. A condition in which excess fluid builds up around the heart, causing the heart to work too hard to keep pumping. Just then, Bri noticed a figure cresting the hill to their property and was brought out of her trip down memory lane when the lone figure yelled out “ Helllooo” as it approached the house. “Why hello there Eliza” Bri said ‘How are you on this fine day?” “ Fine and you Mrs. Barrns?” “Blessed, truly blessed” Bri replied “And how are your parents, I must get down to the village to call on Kaitlin and Derek, soon” “Oh, my mother sends you her best and hopes you are fairing well. Also, she sent this blueberry cobbler, just baked this morning, as a token of her appreciation for the incantation you cast for her last week” Eliza stated, handing over the delicious smelling cobbler to Bri. As Bri lifted the cloth covering the container to take a sniff, she said “ Ahhh, yes, Kaitlin’s award winning cobbler! I dare say I am twice as blessed now! Please tell her when you return, that the small incantation was not worthy of such a lofty gift, as this ! “ “ Well, whether you thank so or not, my mother was awfully grateful to you and deemed it a worthy enough deed to bake you one of her famous cobblers” Eliza said. “ Well then just tell her thank you and I am glad I could help” Bri said as she turned to go inside with the cobbler.
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Eliza finally turned and spoke to her best friend then, “ Hey Sid, guess what! Mik and Jonas are down at the pond skinny dipping, right now!” she giggled with much excitement. “ You don’t mean it!”, Sid replied, excitedly. “Yep, they’re in the pond as naked as two Jay birds! Let’s go down there and surprise them.” “Eliza Black! You are positively scandalous!” Sid squealed. Truthfully she would like nothing better. Sid had been head over heels in love with Mikhail Hallowin since they were in grade school, of course her best friend, Eliza was the only one who new. While Mik and Sid were friends, he had no idea that she would love to be more. Mik was only a year older than she, he had the deepest midnight blue eyes, that one had ever seen, one could just get lost in them if they dared to stare too long, as Sid had many times before. Mik had a head full of dark brown curls which always seemed to be going the exact opposite direction of were he combed them to go. He was tall, about six feet, with broad shoulders and very muscular. To Sid there was no one finer in all of Massachusets. Mik came from one of the oldest and wealthiest families, in their village. His father was into local politics, he was Mayor and direct descendent of Jonas Lee Hallowin founder of Hallowinter Village. His Mother headed up many local causes. In fact Tabitha Hallowin had been solely responsible for getting the donations that helped build the new, state of the art, brick grade school, when the old wooden one burned down. she also, chaired the committee that advocated an orphanage and was always in some way involved with the building, planning and instigating that was quickly advancing their small village into a major city. “Oh I wish we could, Liza, but I’m afraid I have to finish churning the butter before dinner, or Mother will have my hide” she replied. “Oh phooey on chores! It’s a beautiful day, and we are young & carefree, we should be down there enjoying some tom foolery instead of doing chores!” Liza told her. “I know, I know, but Mother is counting on me to help her around the house.” Just then Bri spoke through the screen door and said “ Sid, I’m feeling a little tired, I think I’ll lay down for a bit before your father and the boys come in for dinner” “ Are you all right Mother“, Sid asked, worriedly. She knew of her Mother’s heart condition and had been worried about how easily she tired these days, of course no one in the family was aware that Bri had been taking more and more rest periods lately and had been leaving many of the more strenuous chores to either Sid or Tyra. Tyra had taken the day off to help her sister who had just given birth and so Sid had been helping her Mother with the chores, all day. Normally Tyra helped her Mother with most of the chores and Sid was free to pursue her own pleasures.
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Bri tried not to worry them, if at all possible. She was the rock, the foundation of their family and she would not have them think her incapable of continuing to be just that. “No, I’m all right, just a bit tired from all the cooking, and the heat is bothering me some” Bri replied, then went to her room to lie down. “Now’s your chance, Liza said, just you know, work some of your, ummm, you know, stuff, and the butter can churn it self while we go to the pond to play!” “You know I can’t do that Liza, not everyone is so accepting of our gifts and if someone should see, it could cause big problems for my family. Besides, you know Mother has forbidden we to use my gifts to make life easier for myself. She says, we must only use our gifts to help others, not to be lazy! Sid told her. “ Look ,Sid, you can sit here and churn butter all day, but I am going, I am not about to sit here watching you work while the loves of our lives are buck naked in that pond! Mmm, I can just picture Jo’s broad, tan shoulders and the little line of black hair that covers his chest and then makes it’s way all the way down to…” “ Enough, already, Eliza! You win, I’ll do it and go to the pond with you, but so help me if we get caught, I will tell everyone it was you who did it and cast a spell of obedience upon me to make me go with you” Sid told her. “You wouldn’t? You couldn’t do that to your best friend, could you?, Liza said, doubtfully. “oh I’ll do it alright and turn you into a toad too!” Sid said laughing. Eliza laughed with her and then waited for her to say the incantation that would make the butter churn itself. Sid looked at the churn, concentrated very hard, and visualized the butter churning itself, Then said aloud,

Butter, Butter in the churn
See your way to turn and turn
Do not stop while thin
But continue on until the end
Once the cream has clotted so
You may stop your churning to and fro

Once the churn started turning on it’s own, the girls moved it to the side of the house so no one would see it if they were on the road in front of the house passing by or if they were approaching the house. “Come on Sid said, lets hurry, we have only about two hours until dinner, and I want to be back before they notice I’m gone”.
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Thad and his sons returned that evening, just before dark. They brought with them a large deer and two wild hogs. It was truly a blessed day for hunting, Thad thought to himself. There larder was getting mighty empty and so he was very pleased that the weather had begun to turn warm and that the game was especially active at this time of year. He had always provided well for his family and loved doing so. His family was his greatest joy and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for them. He remembered how as a young man of twenty he had been out hunting with his father one day and wandered far from their group, while trying to draw a bead on a large elk. He had gotten turned around in the woods and come upon a hidden creek deep with in, that he had not known existed and there to his amazement was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon. As he watched her, secretly, from behind a large oak tree, she began to slowly take off her clothes. She had waist length, light reddish blond hair, big beautiful sky blue eyes and perfect cream colored skin. Her breasts were large and perfectly shaped, she had a small waist and wide hips and when she turned around, and bent over, to place her clothing in a neatly folded pile, he was completely smitten by her perfect heart shaped rear. He remembered becoming very excited by watching her and as she slowly walked into the water he was suddenly overcome with the need to touch himself. He watched as she slowly entered the water, and became more and more excited as she swam and played, for what seemed like an eternity. He touched himself and watched her. He watched as her perfect breast with the large dark areolas beaded up and watched as the water slowly slid down the perky nipples and slid down her flat stomach and pooled at the curly dark mass between her legs; and just as he was about to release his store, he moaned aloud and the beautiful creature screamed “ Who’s there! How dare you spy on me! Who is it? Show yourself if you be so bold!“ He quickly put himself back inside his britches, and was so ashamed to have been caught, that he quietly retreated back into the woods rather than speak to the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon.
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Sometime later, he had the opportunity to properly meet the beautiful girl, through a friend of his fathers. He quickly fell in love with her and wasted no time in making her his wife and he had loved and made love to the most beautiful girl he’d ever laid eyes on, for more than 20 years now; and yes he still thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon. As he approached the house, Thad noticed all was quiet and there seemed to be no one around. Where is everyone? he wondered. He entered the house while his sons Mal and Trip took there kill to the slaughter house. “ Bri, Sid, we’re home!”, he yelled but received no response. He went into the kitchen thinking they were in there gossiping while they prepared dinner, since he could smell the lingering odor of cooked food. To his surprise no one was there. Now that’s odd, he thought to himself. He looked all through the house and called their names and no one was to be found, finally as a last resort he thought, “they may have become exhausted from the heat while preparing dinner and decided to lie down until me and the boys returned.” Thad entered his room that he had shared for over 20 years with his wife, the love of his life, and saw her lying peacefully on the bed. The same bed where they had created and she had birthed all three of their children, the bed where she had laid for 3 months awaiting the birth of their only daughter, and where he had sat holding her hand when she’d gone into labor, hoping beyond hope that her heart would remain strong enough to allow both mother and child to survive. Thad approached the bed, thinking to himself how beautiful she still looked after twenty years of marriage and the birth of three kids. she looks just like an angel he thought, as he reached down to gently shake her awake and felt only coldness as he saw her head fall to one side and all that was heard for miles around was his scream as he sobbed out one word “ NOOOOO”.
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Mal and Trip were in the slaughter house when they heard the scream and knowing that it couldn’t be anything good that made there father scream like that, they took off at a dead hard run for the house. Mal was the first to enter the house and called out to his father as he moved through the house in a rush, he didn’t wait for a response but followed the sound of his father’s sobbing. Upon entering his parents bedroom, he noticed his father holding his mother and sobbing. He knew instantly his mother was no longer alive. But he had no time to weep as his younger brother Trip entered the room right behind him and had yet realized what was going on. Mal knew he had to be strong for his brother, for he too would be a sobbing mess as soon as he realized what had happened. Of the two boys, Mal had taken the most after his mother, who had always been the strong, silent type. If she was ill, no one would know it until she was nearly on her death bed, if someone hurt her feelings she would just smile and say it was alright, if she was scared she would tell you she wasn’t and if she needed something from some one else, she would shrug it off and offer to meet someone else’s needs. Trip and Sid on the other hand, had taken after their father, who was as loving and kind hearted as anyone would want to be. Their father was strong and proud, a gentle giant, so sweet and caring.
Trip entered the room and came to an abrupt stop just inside the door way. Mal was blocking the door so he could not fully enter the room. Although Mal was tall and broad shouldered like their father, Trip was just slightly taller and was still able to partially see around him. As he laid eyes on ther Mother and heard his Father sobbing he asked “Mal what’s going on? Is Mother all right? Is she sick or something?” “Come on Trip, lets step outside and give Father some privacy. I will explain everything” Mal told his younger brother. “No you tell me now, I want to know what is going on!” Trip raised his voice worriedly. By now he had realized that his Mother was a little too pale, did not seem to be moving and he could not see the rise and fall of her chest. But he had not yet allowed for the possibility that she was no longer alive, in his mind. Mal pushed him out of the room with a hard shove while angrily stating “Get out, go into the hall. We do not need to discuss this in front of Father.” The boys went into the hall and Mal faced his brother, he hesitated to tell him the sad news but knew there was no way to avoid doing so. As Mal reached out and supportively touched his brother on the arm, he said “She’s gone Trip. Mother has passed on to the after life.” Although Trip new it was the truth as soon as Mal spoke it, he still refused for a moment to believe it.
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“ No, your lieing, she’s not gone, she’s sick or something” he said, as tears began to roll down his cheek. “I’m afraid it’s true, our sweet Mother has gone to meet The Maker” Mal replied as he too began to cry. The boys stayed out into the hall awhile longer crying and hugging, attempting to comfort one another. Neither of them had even wondered where there sister might be, yet. After sometime, the boys collected themselves and while Mal went to get the Doctor. Trip tried to comfort their Father.
While Mal was gone, Trip sat with their father. Thad held Bri’s lifeless hand, while Trip held his father’s other one. When Thad’s sobbing had nearly stopped, he began to talk of days gone by. Choosing to remember the wonderful times he had shared with his wife, rather than focus on the current event. Thad talked and cried until his voice became hoarse. Trip held his father and cried with him, and once he was silent, Thad convinced his father there was nothing more to be done for Bri & took him downstairs for some hot tea with a shot or two of whiskey, for good measure. Their father was not a drinking man, but Trip new under the circumstances, they could all use a little liquid fortitude. He seated his father in his favorite chair by the fire place, lit a fire as it as turning very cool with night coming on, then went to the kitchen to put on the kettle. As he entered the kitchen, only then did he wonder where his sister was.
Mal returned with Dr. Zeb, who quickly pronounced Bri’s death from congestive heart failure. After completing his examination, Dr. Zeb went back downstairs and shared a cup of tea with the three Barrns men. He knew Thad would be in no shape to discuss what type of funeral they wanted for Bri, so after finishing his tea he bid Trip and Thad good eve and asked Mal to walk him out to his horse and buggy. Once they were outside andhe knew they could not be overheard by the other two Barrns, he began. “There are some decisions to be made her Malcolm and they need to be made rather quickly I’m afraid. I know your Father is mourning too hard right now to make them and your brother would not even know where to begin. So, I’m afraid the responsibility rests with you.” “I understand Dr. Zeb and although the responsibility is not one I wish to take on, as I too am mourning my Mother, I know that I must be strong for my family and do what must be done” Mal replied. “Well, you have always been strong of character and level headed, as has your sister. The two of you remind me so much of your Mother, especially Sidney” Dr. Zeb stated. “by the way, I did not see your sister in the house, where is she?” Only then did Mal realize that they had not seen his sister since returning from the hunting trip.
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Chap II








Meanwhile, Liza and Sid had arrived at the pond. They did not make them selves immediately known to the boys, but instead hid in the bushes and watched as the boys swam. “Shall we join them?“ Sid asked. “no I have a better idea“, Liza answered, “Lets grab their clothes, see them hanging from that bush over there?” “What, grab their cothes, for what?” Sid asked. “Come on Sid, it will be funny, they will have to chase us thru the woods in their underwear! If we leave them that much!” Liza said laughing. While the girls were discussing their prank on the boys, Mik and Jonas emerged from the pond and sat down on the shore. They had been at the pond since earlier that morning after completing their chores at home and had worn themselves out swimming all day. “ I guess it’s about time we head home for dinner, huh Mik?” Jonas said “No not yet, I suspect we have a good hour or two before dinner yet, besides, don’t you want to see if Liza and Sid show up?” Smiling Jo, said “uh huh, I sure do”. Mik and Jo had been best friends since they were barely old enough to talk. They had met when they were 3 years old, when Jo’s mother was hired as housekeeper for Mik’s family. They had never known, at such a tender age, that there was any difference in their class or station and had been allowed to play together as equals until they were much older. Only when they entered puberty, was there any attempt by their parents to teach them about their differences, but by then they loved each other like brothers and Mik was fiercely protective of his friend. He truly never saw himself as being in any way superior to Jo, and try as they might, their parents had been unsuccessful in separating them. Mik fought and still fought tooth and nail for his friend. Anything that was good enough for Mik was good enough for his friend and God help anyone who dared to act as if Jo was beneath them. The boys had met eliza and Sidney when they started school at 5 years old and had been friends with them ever since. Sid’s mother was well known in town for supplying certain charms, amulets, potions and poultices that went beyond modern medicine. Her father was well liked by all and was known for being an avid gamesman and often sold any extra meat to the butcher in town. Sid’s family owned a large farm and were known to be very generous with poorer families in town, providing them with milk, grain and meat when they might have starved, otherwise. They also provided humble but satisfactory housing along the outskirts of their property to poor families in exchange for their help on the farm. Sid’s father was a very kind and generous man. While not as wealthy as Mik’ s family, they were considered to be in equal standing as the second wealthiest family in town. Eliza’s family was considered average, but well respected, her mother was the local school teacher and her father was the foreman at the lumbar mill. From the moment they met, the foursome were inseparable. When they were all about 13, Jo realized he was in love with liza. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks one day after saving liza from drowning in the old pond. Jo had been walking in the woods, just wasting time and had heard screaming coming from the direction of the pond, he ran to the pond and saw Liza face down in the water, unconscious. He quickly jumped in and tried to pull her to safety, realizing her foot was caught in a vine and that was why she had been screaming, Jo located his hunting knife hanging on his belt and cut her loose. Once he had her on shore, he began to shake her and call her name, begging her to come out of her unconscious state and praying to the power above that she was alive. After several minutes of trying to arouse her, he decided he had to keep her warm and to try getting some air into her, he didn’t know the first thing about saving a life, but he knew that sometimes you had to instill breath in others and that keeping an injured person warm was helpful. So, Jo stretched out next to her and placed one arm beneath her kneck and partially covered her body with his then lowered his mouth on to Liza’s and tried to blow some breath into her. It seemed like it was working, as he felt her stirring beneath him, so he kept doing it. After several minutes, he began to that something had changed, and when he felt her tongue inside his mouth, he jumped up so fast you would have thought a snake bit him.That was the beginning of it all. Every day and very night from then on, all he could think about was Liza’s cool wet lips on his and that hot slick tongue in his mouth.

Although they were too young to confess their undying love to one another, they both new in their hearts that they would marry one day and there was nothing and no one who could deter them from this path. Many years would pass before they truly understood what was between them, however. Now at 18, it was a for gone conclusion that Jo would offer for her, once she came out. Ust then Jo was shaking out of his reverie by Mal saying, “do you hear that?” “Hear what?” jo replied. “I hear rustling in those bushes there” Mik stated ,as he ponted at the bushes where there clothes were supposed to be hanging. Mik got up and ran over to the bushes, when he realized their clothes were gone, he swore out loud, “dammit to hell, they’ve stolen out clothes!” Jo jumped and joined Mik near the bushes, “who has?’ he asked. “Who else but those silly girls who call themselves our friends!” “Well they can’t have gotten far, lets go find them” Jo offered. “Like this, are you mad! What if someone were to see us, hell what if the girls were to see us!” Mik all but yelled at Jo. “Well, don’t take it out on me, I didn’t put them up to it” Jo countered. “We have to go and find them or we will never get out clothes back” Just then the boys heard soft giggle coming from a nearby tree, knowing that it was the girls, Mik called out. “Ok girls, you’ve had your fun, now return our clothes, at once” The boys waited a moment for a response, when none came, Mik called out “Eliza, sweetheart, come on, give us back our clothing. It was a laugh, I must admit, but now it’s time to head home for dinner and we can’t very well walk through town like this” More giggling was heard, then after a few more minutes of silence, they heard Eliza say, “if you want them you’ll have to come and get them” just then Mik and Jo saw Eliza and Sid run out from behind the bushes waving their clothing in the air and take off running through the woods. “ Blast it all” Jo yelled as he punched Mik in the arm and started running after the girls shouting behind him, “come on, lets get them!”

Back at the farm, Thad was still throwing back shots of whiskey while Mal and Trip tried to comfort him, to no avail. Thad was deep in his cups by this time, one moment he was reminiscing about his life with Bri, the next he was crying. Mal was pacing the floor, wondering where in the hell Sidney had gotten off to, he wanted to go and find her, but did not want to leave Trip alone to deal with their father. Indeed has Thad been sober and not mourning his beloved, he too would have been wondering where Sid was. It was going to be dark soon, he had to find her. His mind began to wonder and more and more he was worried that Sid was alone in the woods, lying somewhere hurt or that someone from a neighboring village happened upon her and abducted her. It had been known to happen. Why just over a year ago, a village girl named Lucy Devereux had been abducted by the son of a wealthy land owner and compromised so that they had to marry right away. “oh, please, powers that be, don’t let anything bad have happened to Sid” Mal prayed silently, as he paced. Trip sat near the fire in the great room with his father, hurting deeply for the loss of his mother, but hurting more for his father, knowing that he too would be undone, should something happen to his beloved wife Angelina. Just then Thad leaned forward and fell to the floor, unconscious. He somehow has succeeded in finishing off a whole bottle of whiskey in the short 2 hours since they came home and found Bri. Trip jumped up from his chair calling out to Mal,” hurry Father has passed out” Mal came into the great room and saw his Father passed out drunk on the floor. “Let’s get him to bed Trip, you get his feet and I‘ll get his arms” he said to his brother, as the two began to lift their father to carry him upstairs. Once Thad was put to bed and the brothers left the room, Mal said to trip, “I have to go and find Sid. It’s not like her to not come home for dinner. I am afraid something may have happened to her. Father could not take it, losing his oly daughter and our beloved Mother in the same day. We must find her” “Yes, indeed you are right, we must find her” Trip replied. “you must go, Mal, I’ll stay here with Father, in case he should awaken” “very good, I shall return shortly,” Mal stated as he moved to the entry hall and grabbed his jacket, then headed out the door.


“catch me if you can” Sid shouted to Mik as she ran with wild abandon through the woods. “Oh, I will catch you, make no mistake of that, and when I do, you will be punished well, girl” Mik shouted back at her as he drew ever closer. Just then, Sid slipped out of sight behind a large Oak tree and as Mik rounded one side of the tree believing she was just on the other side of it, he heard her scream and looked up to see her pitch forward and hit the ground. Mik ran toward her and leaned down. He saw blood on her left temple, she was face down on the ground and wasn’t moving. “Sid, Sidney, Sid,” he called as he shook her, she wasn’t responding. “Oh lord, what if she were dead, what if she had hit her head so hard when she fell that she had been killed” he thought. He carefully brushed her beautiful long red hair away from her face,and running his hand under her nose, he felt her warm breath on his hand and knew that she was alive, “what a relief“, Mik thought. He then called her name again “Sid, come on Sid, you’re scaring me, wake up love” He slowly began to turn her over on her back. Once he had her on her back he leaned over her, he attempted to look into her eyes by lifting first one lid then the other, he knew she was alive since she was breathing, but did not know how to revive her, since he did not have any water or anything. He lighly tapped her cheeks with his hand and continued calling her name but this proved to be of no use. Mik sat back a moment and looked over her facial features, settling on her red luscious lips. Perhaps, he thought, a kiss would revive her, after all it worked for prince charming didn’t it, in that fairly tale, sleeping beauty. Didn’t he have his very own sleeping beauty lying here? While he pondered if he should try kissing her or not, He heard Eliza and Jo calling his name. “oh lord, if they found him leaning over Sid like this and her unconscious, what would they think. That he had hurt her because he was angry over the prank? No, that simply would not do. Although he was known to have a temper, he would never physically harm anyone, especially not Sid. He loved her like a sister. Indeed he had known her nearly all his life. I must revive her some how before they find us” he thought. Slowly he leaned down and gathered her into his arms and gently placed his lips on hers, then sat back and scourged her face for any sign of conciousness, when he saw none, he leaned down again, this time applying more presssure with his lips, but still nothing. He could hear Jo and Liza’s voices drawing closer and knew they would be upon them soon. His fear spurred him on and when he kissed Sid again he did so with all the desperation in him, this time he did not simply kiss and decease, but savagely plundered her mouth, opening her lips with his tongue and going within, he was so intent on his task, that he did not notice when she opened her eyes and with great surprise, she began to fight him off her, only when she bit his tongue did he finally drop her with a thud and leaped up grabbing his mouth. “Dammit why did you do that” he lisped, while trying to hold his tongue out to see what damage she had wrought it. “ you were attacking me” she stated a little too loudly. “ I most certainly was not” Mik replied. “you fell, lost conciousness, and I was simply trying to revive you, the best way I knew how” “Really, hmm, that’s what they call it these days, when you steal a kiss from an unconscious maid, reving her, huh?” Sid replied skeptically. “Yes, that is all I was doing was trying to revive you, wether you believe it or not.” Mik stated. Just then he heard Jo and Eliza, approaching and hastily stated “let’s keep this between us, huh. No one needs to know how I revived you, do they?” Had Sid not been recovering from an unconscious state, she might have had more time to realize that, she had just received her first kiss, ever ,from someone not her brother or father and, that indeed, it was from her secret crush. She may have even admitted to herself that she rather enjoyed waking up to his lips on hers. And she might have been upset at how he was so quick to want to hide the deed as if he were embarrassed or ashamed that he had kissed her. But at that moment, with her temple aching .where she had hit a rock, the very one that had knocked her unconscious, she thought none of those things .but simply agreed that no one needed to know. Just then Jo and Eliza burst thru the brush and Eliza stated “oh thank the powers that be, that we found you. I was beginning to worry that you were eaten by wild beasts or something, she said, only half teasing, “We’re fine, thank you“, Mik said and then filled them in on Sid’s fall, leaving out the part about the kiss, of course. “Oh you poor thing, Eliza said to Sid, are you all right? Are you hurt?” “My head hurts a little, right here“, Sid replied as she rubbed her left temple. Eliza noted the blood now begging to dry and said, “here, let me see“, Eliza said as she went over to see Sid’s injury, wondering what she might use to clean off the blood. Mik interrupted her thoughts by saying “it’s getting pretty late we had best all be heading home” “You are quite right, Jo agreed, you go on ahead I will walk these two scoundrels home” Mik hastily agreed to go home ahead of the others and allow Jo to escort the girls home. Mik felt guilty over having kissed Sid and was afraid she might slip up and mention it to Jo and Liza, so he dressed quickly and took his leave. The remaining trio set off through the woods in the direction of Sid’s house.


Mal had gone into the village and questioned some of the villagers as to whether or not they had seen Sidney, this day First he went to the Blacks, hoping that she was there with Eliza and had simply lost track of time. He knew how the girls were the best of friends and could always be found together. To his surprise he found that Mr. and Mrs. Black were pacing the floor worried about Eliza too, as she had not come home either, “I was about to come down to the farm and fetch Eliza, that girl spends more time there with Sidney than in our own home, these days.“ Derek Black stated. “you say neither girl is there, hmm, where could they have gotten off to? I’ll wager that wherever we find Jonas and Mikhail, we will also find our girls. “you are quite right Derek, I hadn’t thought of that but instead had allowed my mind to take on wicked fantasy’s” Malcolm replied. “now, now old chap, no need to think like that, you know how these young chits are these days, they are nearly grown women and are busy choosing to spend time with their potential mates. Indeed rumor has it that Jonas will be offering for Eliza upn her coming out. Of course that is no surprise to myself and Mrs. Black. Those two have been as thick as thieves since they were five years old. Truthfully, My Eliza could do much worse than that young man. I dare say that Hallowin will eventually come around and realize that Sidney would make a perfect wife for him, as well” “ Now look here, Derek, we haven’t time to ponder who will marry whom, it is getting very late and we must find the girls before it gets any darker out” Mal stated, worriedly. “oh very well, since you seem to be in a hurry, lets mount up and ride, twill be speedier than on foot” Derek stated, After mounting horse, the two agreed to check the Hallowin residence before setting out a search party. Upon discovering that the boys weren’t home either, Andrew Hallowin mounted up and joined them and they gathered a few men from the village, Mal stopped by his home, let his wife and children know what was going on and brought out his two blood hounds. Mal and the two fathers agreed that the likely place to look was the woods. All of then were now beginning to suspect foul play, and were desperate to find the children.

Sid, Jo and Liza approached Sid’s house “Looks kind of dark and deserted, doesn’t it“, Jo stated, “it sure does “, Liza agreed “do you suppose no one’s home?” “It’s well into the dinner hour, now, Sid stated, surely father and Mother would be wondering where I am, as they sat down for dinner” “perhaps they were dining with your brother’s this evening and grew weary of waiting for your return. They might have left you a note or something” Liza conjectured. “No, I don’t think so Liza. I think they’ve gone out looking for me. Oh I am in so much trouble!” Sid wailed, beginning to worry. “ Father will be so angry with me for leaving Mother alone and returning so late” she nearly was crying now as she thought of how angry her father would be with her. As she approached the wide front porch of her childhood home, her fear grew even more. “Mother is probably inside worrying herself sick, while Father and my brothers are out looking for me. You had better go and let me deal with Mother on my own” Sid said to her friends then. “are you sure?” Jonas asked, “I could go in and explain that you fell and that is why we are late” he offered. “No, Oh no, that would only make it worse. If they thought I’d been hurt, then they would never let me out of their sights again” Sid replied. “ Well then you had better take this, Liza said as she reached beneath her dress and tore off a piece of cloth from her underskirt, dipped it in the water barrel ,sitting near the stairs and handed it to Sid. Wipe the blood off your temple and use your hair to cover the cut, so they won’t know what happened” Liza offered. “thank you, oh thank you so much. You are truly the best friends a girl could have. Now be on your way” Sid said, as she reached for the door and began to go in the house.



(more to come)